My Son, My Enemy
by cheri1
Summary: Human Doctor/Rose, 10/OC Fourth in a series of stories about the Doctor and the human Doctor. The Doctor and his family accidentally find the Doctor's son and realize he's not only angry at his father but a threat to the others family members. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the fourth in a series of stories involving the human Doctor and the Doctor. the others in order are Something Old, Something New, The Scientist and the Soldier and Terror of the Crystal Caves.

Chapter One

The Doctor lay underneath the console doing his usual tweaks to his beloved ship's circuitry. He had spent almost two hours fixing worn out parts and making sure his TARDIS could keep on functioning. His family were somewhere in the back. He didn't know what they were doing but all of them were happy, which pleased him immensely. It had been a slow couple of days which had given everyone a chance to rest, recoup and recharge their batteries.

While he worked, he noticed someone walk up and smiled when he saw the maroon trainers of his brother. There was a moment's pause and then his brother squatted down.

"Now what's wrong with her?" Alan said to him. "This is the third repair in a fortnight."

"Nothing's really wrong apart from a little wear and tear. I'm just trying to keep up with what needs to be replaced before something major happens."

Alan rubbed the rim of the console and shook his head.

"The girl's really feeling her age, Brother. She's given centuries of faithful service and now I guess she's in her declining years," he said, sadly.

"I know. I don't want to admit it but you're right. I just hope she can hold out as long as we can. Granted we have an extra TARDIS now but this is my TARDIS and I don't want to lose her."

"Nor I. She's way too special," Alan said.

He smiled when the TARDIS nudged his mind. He stepped back when the Doctor groaned and scooted away from the console to take a break.

"So, what is everyone up to?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, Mingxia and Awinita are playing chess in the living room but your daughter and our wives…"

The Doctor frowned when he shook his head.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"They're playing Twister in there by the telly," Alan said, rolling his eyes.

"Twister? The game where you put your hands and feet down on the dots on the mat?"

"The same."

"Why are they playing that?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno, I guess they're bored. Poor Donna. They recruited her to spin the pointer and call out the body parts and colors. Actually Jenny is quite adept at it. I think it's that soldier programming. The whole being able to flip through those security beams on Messaline is paying off in the game. She's already won once. Anyway, I came out here to see what you were up to."

"You mean you'd rather be out here with me than watch your wife bending herself into a pretzel?" he teased.

Alan smiled.

"Well, let's not forget your wife is a pretzel at the moment too," he replied.

"Yes and I'm going to have a peek at that just as soon as I close up the hatch under the console and go get a nice steaming cup of tea. I'm parched and…"

They looked over when Donna entered the room chatting on her mobile.

"Ought-oh, they lost their spinner person," Alan said. "Better watch it or they'll be out here recruiting us to do it."

"Doctor, granddad wants to talk to ya," Donna said, holding the mobile out to him.

The Doctor glanced at his brother and took the mobile from her.

"Wilf?" he said.

"Doctor, hi. How're things?" Wilf said.

"Everything and everyone is good here, Wilfred. How're things at home?" the Doctor said.

"We're good, Doctor. But the reason I wanted to talk to you is I have something you might like," Wilf replied.

"Really? What?"

"Well, we have a couple of puppies here that don't have a home…"

"Um, Wilf," the Doctor said. "We're already got a full TARDIS here. I mean, I don't have anything against puppies but can't you put them up for adoption?"

Alan raised his eyebrow.

"Puppies?" he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded.

"Well, I would, Doctor. But I don't think anyone will want them."

The Doctor frowned.

"Why not?"

"Well, they've been hurt badly. There are two of them. Siberian huskies, about eight weeks old. Sylvia and I were at a restaurant the other night and we were walking back to the car and we heard this whimpering coming from a rubbish bin and when we looked inside there they were."

Alan noticed the shocked look on his face.

"Brother, what is it?" he asked him.

The Doctor held up his finger.

"The poor things. One had her back leg broken and it had to be amputated and someone slashed the right side of the face of the other one and it's blind in her right eye. We took them to the vet and he mended them, spayed them and gave them their shots but I don't think anyone will want them in their condition. We can't take care of them since they'll grow to be fairly large and money's tight but then I was thinking you have all those people on your ship that will love them and look after them. That's why I'm asking you, Doctor. There's nothing wrong with them apart from the missing leg and blind eye and I'd hate to have them put to sleep. They're both beautiful animals and you lot are the only ones I know of that would accept them as they are and give them the love they need. I was just wondering if you could come and take a look at them and if you don't want them then perhaps you could find someone in time and space that might?"

"Yes, I'll take a look at them, Wilf. Just let me know the date and time and I'll be there as soon as I explain to everyone else what's going on."

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry to bother you. I hope I'm not."

"Nah, you're not. We're not doing anything at the moment so we have time to take a look."

Wilf gave him the date and time and the Doctor assured him he would be there as soon as possible. Once he was finished with the conversation he handed the phone back to Donna and explained to his brother what was going on. Alan got a disgusted look on his face when he explained the injuries to him.

"How could someone do that to puppies? That's sick," Alan said.

"I agree. I wasn't going to take them but if they are in that condition then I'm sure no one will want them and I don't want to see them euthanized. We have eight people here who could look after them."

"Yeah, but the TARDIS is huge. How're we gonna keep them from wandering off and getting lost?"

_I can restrict where they go if you take them and help you take care of them,_ the TARDIS thought to them.

"Well then, let's tell the others," Alan said.

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After explaining the situation to the excited women and getting promises from them that they would help take care of the dogs if they took them, they flew the TARDIS to Wilf's house. He met them at the door with a cardboard box. The Doctor let him inside and closed the door while he took the box over to the jump seat and set it down. Everyone's hearts melted when they heard the whining of the frightened puppies inside. They all gathered around while Wilf opened the box and brought them both out. They gasped when they saw them. Both of them had white and grey fur and sky blue eyes. The dog that had been blinded had one sky blue eye and one milky white one along with stitches that went down the side of her face. The other one had stitches along the underside of her belly where her leg had been. The women took them and petted them, cooing at the puppies while they wriggled and licked their faces. The Doctor and Alan came up beside them and petted them. The Doctor looked at Wilf.

"What are their names?" he said.

"They don't have any that I know of. I figured I'd leave that up to you or whoever adopted them," Wilf said. "Sylvia and I didn't want them getting too familiar with us."

"They're so adorable," Rose said, scratching the ears of the one with the missing leg. "Who could do this to her? How could they be so cruel?"

Rain laughed when the other one licked her face furiously. The Doctor watched his family interacting with them and looked at Wilf.

"I guess we're gonna keep them now since the moment I took them somewhere else everyone would kill me," he said.

"You better believe we would," Awinita said. "These dogs belong with us."

"Yeah, they're our Time Dogs now," Mingxia added.

"I'm glad you're taking them, Doctor. I was worried about them. Like I said, the vet said nothing's wrong with them apart from the injuries but you know not many people would want them in that state. Besides, I figure you could use a couple of watchdogs for your ship."

"Oh yeah, you two would turn Cybermen into a pile of scrap, wouldn't ya?" Alan said, taking the one with the missing leg from Rose.

He laughed when the dog whined and licked his cheeks and nose.

"They're very friendly, especially after what's happened to them," Alan said, stroking her fur.

"Yes, they're very gentle and affectionate," Wilf said. "I'd love to keep them but we can't afford them."

"Well, we'll look after these two. I think they'll find themselves right at home here," the Doctor said.

"Good."

Wilf smiled at Donna who pulled herself away from the dogs and gave her a hug.

"Would you like to come back to our living room? I'll make some tea and we'll sort out these dog's names in the meantime," the Doctor said.

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Wilf smiled while he sat and sipped tea with the Doctor and Alan. The women sat on the floor playing with the puppies while they discussed names for them. They sat in a circle and the dogs went around, climbed into their laps or went up to their faces if they were on their stomachs and licked them. They had already dismissed generic names like spot or fluffy. Alan had suggested Quark and Quasar which earned him a bunch of long, hard stares from them.

"You know, huskies are from the north and love the cold and snow. Maybe we should give them names that fit that," Rain said.

"You mean like Snowball?" Awinita said.

"Yeah, like that," she replied.

Jenny made a face.

"I don't like Snowball though," she said, playing with the one with the blinded eye.

"How about Mush and Igloo?" Alan said.

"NO!" they all said as the three men laughed.

"How 'bout Yeti and Abominable Snowman?" the Doctor said.

"NO!"

"How about Blizzard?" Mingxia suggested.

The woman paused and thought about that.

"Yeah, I like that. Blizzard," Awinita said.

The other women nodded in agreement.

"Okay, which one is Blizzard?" Rain said.

The one with the missing leg walked over to Donna and licked her face while she lay on her stomach.

"How 'bout this one?" Donna said.

They nodded. The Doctor looked at Alan.

"Blizzard. The dog's named after a meteorological occurrence, poor thing," he said as Alan and Wilf laughed.

"Well, it's better than naming it bleedin' Abominable Snowman," Donna said to him.

"So, what's the sister's name? Whiteout?" Alan said as the Doctor snickered.

"Snowstorm," the Doctor said, nudging him.

"Ice storm," Alan replied.

The women ignored the men's snickers while they continued to pet and play with the dogs. The Doctor smiled when Blizzard walked over to him.

"C'mere little snowstorm," he said, picking her up.

He sat him on his lap and grinned when she climbed up his chest and licked his chin.

"You're a good little doggie, Blizzard. Yes, you are," the Doctor said, scratching behind her ear. "You and your sister are gonna be Time Dogs, aren't ya? Yes, you are."

"Question. Are they potty trained and where are we gonna take them when they need to go?" Alan asked. "Because I don't think we can open the door and let them go out in the vortex."

"They're potty trained," Wilf said. "Someone apparently thought to do that before they dumped them as well as stitch up their injuries, thank God."

"And as for taking them somewhere," the Doctor said, "we do have that park room. They can go in there and run and play and we can have the TARDIS install a cat flap on the door while we teach them to go there."

"And the TARDIS can get rid of the feces afterwards," Alan said, nodding.

"You have a park room?" Wilf said.

"Yes, the TARDIS has many different types of rooms and she can simulate many different types of environments. I have a room that is a huge simulated public park with simulated sky and grass and a large pond. Blizzard and anonymous can go in there and just run and play to their heart's content and we won't have to worry about them getting lost or stolen."

Wilf smiled.

"I knew it was a good idea to ask you to take them," he said.

The Doctor looked down when Rain tapped his kneecap.

"We got it. We've figured out this one's name."

"And that is?"

"Aurora. After the aurora borealis. And we can call her Rory for short," she said.

The Doctor glanced at his brother.

"Blizzard and Rory."

Alan shrugged.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

"Okay, so we hereby christen these two, Blizzard and Rory," the Doctor said. "A couple of Time Dogs for Time Lords and Ladies."

Blizzard walked down the Doctor's chest, walked across to Alan and walked up him to his cheek.

"Oi, watch it with the licking, Blizz. I already had a shower today," he said, laughing.

"Okay, now listen up," the Doctor said to the women. "This is it on animals. I'm only taking them on board because not many people would want them with their injuries. But we draw the line at two dogs. No cats, bats, rats, budgies, macaws, elephants, zebras, whales, sharks or dinosaurs, got that?"

"Got it!" the women said in unison.

"Okay, just making sure we're all in agreement here," the Doctor said.

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After a couple of hours of chatting and playing with the dogs, Wilf left the TARDIS and they went back into the vortex. The Doctor went back to his repair work under the console. While he worked he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to see Blizzard coming into the room. He whistled and grinned when the dog froze, cocked her head and gamboled towards him. The Doctor turned his face and smiled when Blizzard licked his forehead.

"You gettin' settled in now, little lady?" he said, stroking her fur. "Is your sister back there with my sisters?"

He stuck his finger out and Blizzard gave it a playful nip.

"You have to earn your keep, ya know. You and your sister have to be our watch dogs now," he said with mock sternness.

He put his screwdriver in his pocket, turned on his side and petted her while she moved up against him.

"Rose is right, how could anyone harm a beautiful thing like you?" he said. "You've barely known life and already you and your sister have been through a traumatic time, eh? Well, you won't get that kind of treatment here. No one here cares that you're missing a leg or Rory's blind in one eye. We're very accepting of everyone, no matter what their faults may be."

He smiled when she sniffed his face and licked his nose.

"You have beautiful eyes too. That was a major selling point. I'm a sucker for a pair of gorgeous baby blues," he said to her.

He turned on his back and grinned when Blizzard climbed onto his stomach, lay down and sighed while she stared at his face.

"Knackered?" the Doctor asked her.

He smiled when she wagged her tail in response. He watched her turn her head and watch while he pulled his screwdriver back out. She tried to bite it when he brought it past her head.

"No! That is not a bone!" he said, wagging his finger at her.

Blizzard laid her head on her paws and watched while the Doctor worked on the circuitry.

"Yup, you are definitely a very good dog," the Doctor said, glancing at her.

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It took a day but the dogs finally got adjusted to their new environment. They both explored the ship while the TARDIS blocked off corridors when they wandered too far and led them to the park room when they needed to relieve themselves. She provided them dog food and water in the kitchen and toys and treats along with two blue dog collars with little license tags bearing their names and flea collars. She also made doggie beds and put them in the living room for them. The girls played with them and also began to train them how to behave properly. After another day the Doctor finally felt confident enough to leave them by themselves while they went exploring. He decided to try a random location figuring everyone was now able to handle themselves if trouble came up. He punched three random numbers into the TARDIS computer and flew the ship with five of his family members while Donna and Mingxia sat behind them and played with the puppies. Once they landed, the women carried the dogs back to the living room and the TARDIS quickly threw up a barrier over the doorway when they tried to leave. The two women paused at the door and gave the puppies a sad look when they whined and scratched at the invisible force field.

"We'll be back soon," Mingxia said. "We promise."

"So you two behave," Donna added.

They forced themselves to turn and go and ignore the sad whining of the puppies.

Once they reached the console room, they stood with the others and made sure they had their screwdrivers, psychic paper, credit sticks and pocket flashlights. Then they walked to the door together and stepped outside to take a look at their surroundings.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is a crossover with The Next Doctor and is basically a retelling with the Doctor and family in it so just be warned there are major spoilers since it's the whole episode. Also, I have a friend, Ninewood, who is doing a crossover with these stories and combining them with her human Doctor (named Adam) and her Rose. If you'd like to read it it's over on Whofic dot com and the story is called Old Enemy, New Friends.

Chapter Two

The first thing they noticed was it was snowing. They also noticed that it looked like it was Earth but not Earth in the 21st century. The Doctor closed the doors and all of them strolled out into the middle of a bustling city. They took a look at the clothes and determined they were in the Victorian era. They heard English accents from various people walking around them.

"Hmm, London, sometime in the Victorian era," the Doctor guessed.

"Great and knowing your luck, Bro. We're gonna turn the corner and run right into Jack the Ripper," Awinita said.

"Oi," the Doctor said, incensed. "I'm not that unlucky. Besides the Ripper murders took place in autumn."

"Early snow then," Rose teased. "And I agree with ya, Sis. I think we better get behind the men so they can get their throats slashed first."

The Doctor looked at his brother.

"They're just so loving towards us, aren't they?" he said to him while he snickered.

He noticed a boy standing nearby and walked over to him.

"Hey!" he said. "What day is this?"

"Christmas eve, sir."

"What year?"

The boy was taken aback.

"You thick or something?"

"Oi!" he said as everyone giggled. "What is it with everyone's cheek all of a sudden? Just answer the question."

"Year of our Lord, 1851, sir."

The Doctor thanked him and turned to his family.

"There you go, not only is it the wrong season, it's the wrong year. The Ripper murders won't happen for another 37 years."

"Well knowing you, a rift will open up and Jack will plop down right in front of us," Donna said.

The Doctor flipped her off while everyone laughed.

"I give you my assurance that not only is 1851 a safe year, it's also a very dull one," the Doctor said.

"Well, if it's dull let's stir things up a bit," Alan said. "Since it's Christmas eve in the Victorian age let's all pretend this is our own personal Christmas Carol and dress up in white sheets and go harass some miserly chap into giving to the poor, eh?"

"Uh, no," the Doctor said. "Let's don't and say we did. However, we could go and do a bit of shopping and sightseeing and…"

"DOCTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"

The Doctor trailed off when they heard a woman screaming.

"Um…yes?" the Doctor said, frowning in confusion.

"DOCTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"

The Doctor turned his head and looked around.

"Who, me?" he said.

His family's mouths dropped open when he suddenly ran off in the direction of the screaming woman.

"Um, Brother, someone knowing your name is not always a good thing!" Alan yelled at him.

He let out an exasperated sigh when the Doctor didn't stop and looked at Rose.

"And he had the gall to call _you _a trouble magnet, Starlight," he said.

"Well, come on, you wanted to stir things up a bit. We might as well follow him and see what's goin' on," she replied.

They looked at each other and took off after their brother.

They found him with a black woman. She was bellowing out his name while he was trying to convince her of his identity. In the meantime, something was trying to burst through a wooden door in front of them.

"Hello, I'm right here!" the Doctor said.

"Don't be stupid! You're not the Doctor!" she said.

"Yes, I am. I'm the Doctor."

"Well, there can't be two of ya!"

"Well, actually…" Donna said, pointing to Alan.

"I'm not the Doctor, Noble," Alan said indignantly.

"Here I am, I'm right here!"

They turned and noticed a man running up. He was dressed in black trousers, a red waistcoat and a tan coat.

"Where the hell ya been?" the woman said as he ran up beside the Doctor.

"Sorry for the delay. I have it all under control now!" the man assured her.

"Um, who are you?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm the Doctor, simply the Doctor. The one, the only and the best."

The Doctor glanced at his family who were staring at the man in shock.

"Okay, maybe this guy is just another guy who goes by the name Doctor," Mingxia said.

"Rosita, give me the sonic screwdriver. Now hurry and get back to the TARDIS. If you could stand back sir, this is a job for a Time Lord."

"Uh, no Te'lesu, I have a feeling he's not just another guy," Alan said.

"He's the Doctor?" Rain said. "But he must be a future version of him since I don't remember seeing him in my husband's memories."

Just then the door burst open and everyone stared at the creature inside it. Alan's eyes bulged.

"What the hell is that thing?" he said. "Looks like a lump of rags with a distorted Cyberman face on it."

"Oh, that's new," both Doctors said in unison.

The Doctor's family watched while they whipped out their sonic screwdrivers and said, "Allons-y!" at the same time. They stared hard at the new Doctor's screwdriver.

"Well, if that's the Doctor, he better go and get himself a proper sonic screwdriver," Donna said, pointing to the screwdriver in his hand.

"Uh, Bro, you better get in there and help before Doctor Loony Toons injures himself," Awinita said.

Alan whipped out his screwdriver.

"Stay here and make sure that thing doesn't pass us if it gets away," he said.

They nodded and he ran up beside the new Doctor. He glanced at him and the new Doctor's eyes bulged while he looked from one to the other.

"Hi, I'm Alan. I'm his brother, obviously. Looks like you could use a bit of help since the only thing you could do with that is jab that thing in the eye," Alan said.

They gasped when the thing leapt up in the air onto a wall.

"Some kind of primitive conversion, like they took the brain of a cat or a dog," the Doctor theorized.

Alan looked at the women.

"And no, we're not adopting it as a brother for Blizzard and Rory," he said to them.

"Now, watch and learn," the new Doctor said.

He lassoed the beast with a rope.

"Impressive," Mingxia said.

"Excellent! Now let's pull this timorous beastie down to Earth!"

They watched while the creature climbed up the wall pulling the new Doctor along with him.

"Yeah, nice pulling there, Buffalo Bill," Donna said.

"I might be in a little bit of trouble," the new Doctor said as he went up the wall.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Awinita said.

They watched while the Doctor ran and grabbed the rope. Rain gasped when he went up the wall with him.

"Dad!" Jenny yelled.

_Thete, be careful, please,_ Rain thought to him.

"You idiots!" Rosita said.

"Perhaps if you can pull…"

"I am pulling!"

"Oh God, I can't look," Rose muttered, lowering her head. "He's gonna get himself killed for sure."

They watched while it went into a window on the top floor. Alan looked at them.

"Come on, guys. It's the Doctor's loving family to the rescue!" he said.

They sprinted towards a flight of stairs near the door and ran up them. Rosita followed behind them carrying an axe.

_Brother? Are you alright?_ Alan thought while they dashed up the stairs.

_Um…my ass is being dragged along the floor and I'm getting numerous splinters in my bum but other than that, I'm a-ok, _he thought back.

_We're coming! Hold on! _

_Believe me, that's exactly what me and the other me are doing! _

They reached the top floor just in time to see the creature barreling towards an open window with the two Doctor still hanging onto the rope for dear life.

"Let go, you gits!" Donna screamed at them.

Just then Rosita ran past them and swung the axe at the rope, severing it. The two Doctors tipped backwards while the Doctor's family ran towards him. Rain reached her husband as he was standing up.

"Love, are you alright?"

"I will be once my ass cools down and stops hurting," he said, hugging her.

He glanced over at the other Doctor who was laughing. The Doctor joined in the laugh, let go of his wife and embraced him. They continued to laugh while they went out the door and down the flight of steps.

"I'm glad you think it's so funny," Rosita said. "You two are completely insane! You could have gotten yourselves killed!"

"Yes, but we didn't, did we?" the new Doctor said. "We're fine, just look at us."

"I'm glad you didn't join them because I would have killed ya!" Rose said to Alan.

"Why did you think I didn't grab the rope?" he replied.

"I guess I should introduce Rosita, my faithful companion," the new Doctor said, walking up beside her.

"Rosita, good name. Nice to meet you, Rosita."

"Hmmph," she said to him. "Now I'll have to go and dismantle the traps! All that for nothing! And we've only got twenty minutes to the funeral, don't forget."

_God, is this a future sister?_ Awinita thought to her family_. Because she's awfully bitchy and I'm not sure I'll want her in the TARDIS. _

Once Rain heard that, a realization dawned in her mind.

_If this is the Doctor, where are we? Where's Alan?_ She thought to them.

"Oh, I'm not as young as I was," the new Doctor said.

"Well, you're not as young as you were when you were me," the Doctor said.

"When I was who?"

Alan frowned.

_He doesn't recognize him,_ he thought_. Brother, what's going on? Why doesn't he seem to recognize you if that's your future self? _

_Dunno, but we'll get to the bottom of this, rest assured. I'm not letting this "Doctor" out of my sight till we get this sorted out._

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The Doctor, under his alias of John Smith, convinced the new Doctor to take him to his TARDIS. His family followed along behind them, just as eager to see it as the Doctor was. The new Doctor had some memory loss but so far they hadn't been able to figure out how it had happened, only that it had happened when the Cybermen came to Earth and found him. He hadn't recognized the sound of a proper screwdriver so everyone kept theirs hidden. The Doctor had managed to find an info stamp hidden in a secretary desk and explained that the Cybermen were using them to update themselves. The women's hearts went out to this new Doctor when they saw how confused and frightened he was. He had asked them all for their help and they willingly agreed to give it. But before they could get out of the house where they found the info stamp, they were ambushed by three Cybermen who cornered the two Doctors and Alan and herded them up the stairs. The Doctor grabbed a cutlass and fought them while Alan protected his future self.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said as he tried to push them back. "You need me. The Doctor is me."

"What?" Alan heard the new Doctor saying to himself. "What does he mean by that? I'm the Doctor."

He glanced at him and saw him staring intently at the info stamp. His head jerked back around when the Cybermen knocked the Doctor down and he ran to help his brother.

"Delete!" the Cybermen said as Alan grabbed the cutlass, prepared to defend him to the death.

Just then a blue light shot out and electrocuted the metal men. They glanced back and saw the new Doctor holding the info stamp at them while the blue light shot from it. Both brothers got away and stood beside him while the electricity blew the Cybermen's heads off.

"Wow! Good thing you decided to bring that along," Alan said.

He walked to the stairs and looked down at his family.

"We're alright, we're okay!" he said to them. "It's safe to come up now."

The women breathed a sigh of relief and climbed the stairs. Rain reached the Cybermen first and stared at them.

"So now I've seen real Daleks and real Cybermen," she mused.

Alan frowned.

"When did you see real Daleks, Te'lesu?"

"Oh! Um…in the Rani's simulation she trapped us in. The memory of Arcadia had Daleks in it and we saw a couple of dead ones."

"Oh," Alan said, breathing a sigh of relief.

_There's something wrong,_ the Doctor thought to them. _This man isn't the Doctor._

They turned and noticed he was checking the new Doctor's heartbeat with a stethoscope. The Doctor glanced at them.

_One heart. He's human and if the fob watch wasn't part of the chameleon arch, then it means he's always been human_, he thought to them.

They looked at each other.

_Then who is he, Dad?_ Jenny thought to him.

_Dunno, but I have an inkling of who he might be and what might have happened. But now I'm even more curious to see this TARDIS of his. _

_Well, that would explain the screwdriver that's not a screwdriver, _Donna thought to them.

_So the guy's a fraud? _Awinita thought._ He's impersonating Bro? But why? _

_He can't be a total fraud. _Alan thought._ He has knowledge that only a Time Lord would know. If he's a human in 1851, where'd he get all that knowledge about Cybermen and screwdrivers and TARDISes? _

_I think I might have figured that out as well. At least I have a theory. Just keep quiet for the moment, _the Doctor thought.

They nodded and watched while the Doctor escorted the new Doctor down the stairs and out the door.

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After they were led to where the new Doctor had been staying, the Doctor looked around it and looked through Jackson Lake's luggage, playing on his hunch after he used his screwdriver to locate another info stamp. Rain came up beside him while he rifled through his clothes.

_What are you looking for, Thete?_ She thought to him.

_Info stamp. I have a feeling that Jackson Lake and this Doctor are one and the same person, _he thought back.

_How?_

_Wait a tic, Love, I think I'll be able to explain it in a moment,_ he thought.

While he looked, Rosita came up beside him. The Doctor glanced at her while he rummaged through Jackson's things.

"How did you meet him?" he said, nodding his head at the new Doctor.

The rest of the family came up behind her and listened while she explained their meeting.

"Can you help him, sir?" she said when she finished. "He has such terrible dreams, wakes at night in such a state of terror."

"Come now, Rosita," the new Doctor said walking over to her. "With all the things a Time Lord has seen, everything he's lost, he must surely have bad dreams."

"Yeah," the Doctor muttered.

He smiled at Rain when he felt her sending love into his mind and he gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Oh! Look," he said, pulling out an info stamp. "Jackson Lake had an info stamp."

"But how?" the new Doctor said, coming over to him.

Everyone gathered in close.

"Is that significant?"

"Doctor, the answer to all this is in your TARDIS, can I see it?"

"Mister Smith, it would be my honor."

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The new Doctor led everyone to his TARDIS. While they walked the Doctor held his wife's hand while he walked beside him. The new Doctor noticed this.

"She must be very special," he said to the Doctor.

He smiled and squeezed Rain's hand.

"That she is, she's my wife," he said.

He gave him a pointed look but the new Doctor only nodded and smiled.

"She's very beautiful."

They noticed him frowning while he got a faraway look in his eyes.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" the Doctor said to him.

"Just trying to remember something, Mister Smith. Something significant. Lost…something…"

_I think I'm right,_ the Doctor thought to his family. _I think this is the missing Jackson Lake. _

_But how does he know you then, Love? _

_I think the info stamp is all about me and I think when Jackson used it on the Cybermen, it backfired and sent all the information about my life into his brain._

_And now he's convinced he's you, _Donna thought.

_Yes, but that alone shouldn't have brought about the amnesia and identity crisis. There's something more to it, _the Doctor thought._ That's why I want to see this TARDIS. It's another piece of this puzzling puzzle that's slowly falling into place. _

They went under an archway out into a courtyard.

"There she is, my transport though time and space," the new Doctor announced proudly.

All of them stopped and stared at it.

"It's a hot air balloon," Awinita said.

"That or the Doctor finally got the chameleon circuit fixed," Alan said.

"It's a TARDIS. T…A…R…D…I…S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style," the new Doctor said.

"No, it stands for This Ain't Really Doctor, I Suspect," Awinita mumbled.

The rest of the family bit their lips to keep from laughing. They watched while the Doctor walked up to it.

"Thank God our TARDIS isn't like this," Mingxia said. "I think it'd be a tight squeeze for eight people and two puppies."

They watched while the new Doctor paid his manservant and all of them walked up to take a look at the balloon.

"Someday, John, someday I'll ascend in this and see London from the air," the new Doctor said.

They all looked at him.

"You've never been up in it?" the Doctor said.

"Not yet, not until London town is safe. Then I will get in it and fly away through time and space. Escape from all of this."

"Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?" the Doctor asked him.

"With every moment."

"And you want me to tell you," the Doctor said. "Cause I think I've worked it out now. How you became the Doctor. What do you think? Do you want to know?"

The new Doctor thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Then come with me back to your quarters and I'll reveal everything."

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Everyone sat around the Doctor while he explained his theory to the new Doctor or Jackson Lake as he was called. He showed him the fob watch engraved with JL on the back and showed him the info stamp that contained all the information about his current and past lives. Rain shuddered when she heard him tell Jackson that the Daleks had originally had it before the Cybermen stole it from them. The fact that two of her husband's deadliest enemies had his entire life in a silver tube filled her with fear and she wondered what else they had that concerned him. Her hearts went out to the poor man especially when they learned his wife had been killed. Now she knew why he had such an odd look on his face when the Doctor told him that she was his wife and it about broke her hearts to know that he had gone into this fugue state and became a copy of her husband just to get away from the tormented memories of losing her to the Cybermen. They all comforted him when he began to weep, at a loss as to how to make everything better for him.

Suddenly, they heard a beeping and looked up to see the Doctor pulling out another info stamp. Both of them began to beep and he opened another suitcase and pulled out several more info stamps.

"What is it?" Rosita asked. "What's that noise?"

"Activation. Call to arms. The Cybermen are moving!"

The Doctor's family watched him run out and looked at each other.

"You know, Jenny. I'm so glad you love the running part because now we have to do it again," Alan said to her.

They all ran out after him leaving Jackson alone with Rosita.

"Doctor?" Alan yelled.

"Dad!" Jenny called out.

The Doctor appeared in an archway and put his fingers to his lips.

"Come here, I've found something or rather a group of someones," he said to them.

They all came up beside them and saw a bunch of children of varying ages shuffling past them.

"What's this?" Alan said.

"Dunno, but I have a feeling they're not on their way to the panto," the Doctor replied.

They glanced back when Rosita came up behind him.

"What's happening?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged. They noticed an adult walking behind the children.

"That's Mister Cole," Rosita said. "He's master of the Hazel Street work house. Maybe he's taking them to prayers."

"Oh, nothing as holy as that," the Doctor replied as they ran up to him.

They noticed he was wearing metal earpieces with a blinking blue light.

"Oh…lovely," Alan said.

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, nothing much, Jen. Just a little Cyber mind control, is all," he replied.

He felt a hand on his back and saw Rose staring at it in disgust.

"I thought I'd never see something like that again," she said to him.

"I know, Starlight, but apparently they are able to make them with 1800's parts," he replied. "And since that weird Cybermen thing is keeping watch, Brother can't free him from it. Oooo, if I get my hands on those Cybergits, I'm gonna tear open a hole in the void and shove them back in myself."

He glared at Jed, who had come up beside them, when he heard him mention that the children needed a good whipping. Jed mentioned that there were even more children being led away and Rosita led everyone to them. They saw another man wearing the same earpieces leading more frightened children.

"There's dozens of them," Rosita said.

"What for?" the Doctor replied.

They walked with them until they came to a large door. All of them quickly ducked out of sight and watched while the door was opened and two Cybermen herded the children inside a sluice gate.

"Should we go in?" Alan asked.

"No, it's too well guarded, we'll find another way," the Doctor said.

They got up, started to run and gasped when they ran right into the Cybermen.

"Whoa, that's cheating! Sneaking up. You got your legs on silent?" the Doctor said.

Suddenly a woman in a red dress walked in front of them. The Doctor raised his hand to her while his family whipped out their screwdrivers and pointed them at the Cybermen.

"Just walk away slowly. Come towards us. Don't let them touch you," the Doctor said to her.

"They won't harm me, my fine boys. They're my knights in shining armor, quite literally."

They listened while she spoke to the Doctor about being liberated.

"Lady, I think the only thing that got liberated is your sanity when it scarpered from your brain," Alan said.

"She actually wants to be with those things?" Jenny asked.

"Apparently so, Jen," Alan replied. "I personally can think of better people to hang around with than a bunch of metal men but then I'm not a complete nutjob who thinks Cybermen are my knights in shining armor."

"More importantly, who are you, sir, with such intimate knowledge of my companions?"

Alan made a face.

"I hope she means companions in a platonic sense," he muttered to his family.

He snorted when the Cybermen failed to recognize his brother.

"Apparently spending all that time in the void created a huge void right between their metal ears," he muttered as the others snickered.

"Oh, look, look, look, the Doctor's info stamp," the Doctor said, throwing it to them. "Plug it in, go on, download."

The Cyberman checked it.

"The data core has been damaged. This info stamp would damage cyber units."

"What?" Rose muttered to her family, "you mean it'd make them even more barmy than they already are?"

"Core repaired. Downloading."

They waited while the metal man opened a door in his chest and inserted the info stamp into a slot. There was a moment's pause.

"You are the Doctor!" it said.

"Well, lookie there, it can be taught," Awinita said.

"You will be deleted!"

"Not unless we delete you first, Tin Man," Mingxia said.

"Wait, just let me die happy," the Doctor said, ignoring them, "just tell me one thing. What do you need those children for?"

"What are children ever needed for? They're a work force."

"Ooo, that's it," Awinita said, "bitch is going down for that and down hard!"

"And look, she has dreams of ruling the world," Rose said to them. "What else is new?"

"Well, it wouldn't look good on her CV if she just ruled London town, eh?" Alan said to her.

"Well, it's a good thing we're here to stop Queen Bitchybutt Hartigan, empress of the Cybermen so the world doesn't have to put up with her and her metal boys," Awinita said.

"Delete them," Miss Hartigan said.

They all raised their screwdrivers when the Cybermen began to advance on them. Suddenly the blue light from the info stamps appeared out of nowhere and killed them. They looked over at Jackson who was holding one of the info stamps in his hand while the rest of them were draped around him in the leather sash.

"At your service, Doctor," he said to him.

"Shades! Shaaaaaaaaades!"

They looked over when the creatures came towards them.

"Well, now we know what those things are called, I guess," Rain said.

They began to run away but Miss Hartigan stepped in front of them, a smirk on her face as she blocked their way. Jenny ran past everyone and kicked her hard in the mouth sending her to the ground and wiping the smirk from her face.

"There you go, Dad. I made a way for everyone," she said proudly

"Well, not the way I'd go about stopping her but it's no time to quibble. Run!" he yelled.

Everyone ran for their lives while Miss Hartigan got to her feet and let out a scream of rage.

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They followed Jackson to 15 Latimer Street. Jackson let them into his house and led them to the basement. The moment they got inside they found a Cyberman but Jackson quickly dispatched him with another info stamp. The Doctor's eyes caught something when he came down the stairs and he ran over to a weird looking contraption.

"Must have been guarding this. A dimension vault," he said, kneeling down next to it while everyone ran up beside him. "It's stolen from the Daleks again. That's how they traveled through time."

"Is it me or do the Daleks seem to have trouble holding on to their stuff?" Mingxia said to them.

"Is this it? The thing you couldn't remember?" the Doctor asked Jackson.

"I don't think so," he said. "I just can't see. It's like it's hidden."

Rain's hearts broke for him again and she hoped sincerely he would be able to remember whatever it was he couldn't remember.

"Come on, you lot!" the Doctor said to them. "Avanti!"

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They had managed to find the captive children and get them all to safety before the Cybermen could dispose of them. The Doctor told all the women to get them outside to safety and make sure they were far enough away from the building. He and Rain shared a brief kiss as did Alan and Rose before they turned and ran with the children to get them to safety. The brothers ran over to a machine and examined the readout while Jackson looked at the fleeing children. Suddenly, he had it. He realized what he had lost when images of his son Frederick being kidnapped by the Cybermen came into focus in his mind. He looked up and saw Frederick standing on a platform above him, terrified.

"My son," he whispered.

"Doctor, Alan, my son!" he yelled at them.

The two brothers glanced at each other and ran over to him.

"My son, they took my son! There he is!" he pointed up.

"I'll get him, Brother," Alan said, "you keep working."

He ran to the stairs leading up to it and called out to him.

"It's alright, come down! Don't be afraid!" he said.

"He can't. He's too scared," Jackson said.

Alan tried to go up the stairs but an explosion blocked his way.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"Brother! The rope!" the Doctor said pointing to it while throwing him the cutlass.

"Ah! Thanks muchly!" he said, catching the cutlass.

He ran over to the rope, wrapped his arm around it and cut the end propelling him up in the air. He hung on for dear life while the weight on the other end made the rope zoom up towards the platform. He reached it and grabbed hold of Frederick.

"Hello there, I'm Alan, nice to meet ya," he said, grabbing him. "I reckon you've had enough of this place, eh? So get on my back and I'll take ya to your dad."

He squatted down, Alan jumped on and he stood back up. He grabbed hold of the rope and swung away just as an explosion rocked the platform.

"Blimey, that was a bit too close for comfort," he said. "Almost did in my hairdo and my wife woulda had a conniption fit if one lock had been lost."

He slid down the rope and carried him over to his father who embraced him tightly.

"I'm in your debt, sir," he said.

"Nah, you're not, believe me. I was glad to do it just to witness this moment," Alan replied.

The Doctor patted his brother's shoulder while both of them watched Jackson hugging his son.

"Merry Christmas," the Doctor said to Jackson.

They gasped when things began exploding around them.

"Um, I think that's our cue to skidoo, Brother," Alan yelled.

"I think you're right! Come on, Jackson, this way!" he said as he led them past the explosions down a corridor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Holy shit," Awinita said.

The women all stood on the dock watching in disbelief while a giant Cyberman rose up out of the water.

"Wow, that's something you don't see everyday in 1851," Mingxia quipped.

"Um, shouldn't we be backing up now?" Jenny asked them.

"Yeah, I think we need to back up a bit, say… to Scotland," Rose said.

"Oh God, I hope our husbands and Jackson aren't up there," Rain said to her when they noticed how large it was.

They paused when they heard Hartigan's voice echoing from it.

"Behold, I am risen. Witness me, mankind, as Cyberking of all."

"Don't you mean, Cyberbitch?" Awinita said.

"King? Not queen?" Mingxia said.

"Yup, apparently she said king," Rose replied.

"And I will walk. I will stride across this tiny little world."

"Oh God, run!" Rose said when they saw the foot lift.

They all ran off to the right and tried to navigate through the screaming hoards of panicking Londoners, keeping together while they tried not to get knocked down and stamped on.

"My people!" Hartigan said into the tannoy system, "why do you not rejoice?"

"Maybe because you're stepping on them, bitch!" Awinita screamed up.

Meanwhile, the three men were running, fighting against the crowds. Suddenly the Doctor stopped them.

"Jackson, get him to safety!" the Doctor said, pointing to Frederick.

"But I should be with you."

"No, it's too dangerous. Go."

He turned to his brother.

"And you go as well, Te'lesau."

"No, Brother."

"Yes, find our family. Make sure they're safe. Protect them. Get them out of harm's way."

Alan hesitated a moment and then nodded. He put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Please, be careful."

"I will. I won't be reckless. Not with so much to live for."

He hugged him briefly.

"Now go, both of you and good luck," the Doctor said.

"You too, Brother. Come on, Jackson."

He watched while they ran off before he headed towards the one thing he knew might help him stop Hartigan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This way!" Rose yelled as they ran with a number of terrified citizens.

_Rose, Jen, my sisters, where are you?_

Rose and the others stopped short when they heard Alan's voice in their minds. Rosita looked back and stopped short.

"Come on! You wanna get trampled, ya idiots?" she yelled at them.

"No, this way. Alan's looking for us," Rose called out when they took off running in another direction.

"How'd ya know where to go?" Rosita called out.

She shook her head and ran another way looking for Jackson. Alan's family ran through the streets back to the TARDIS and found Alan leaning against the door. He ran to Rose and hugged her tightly.

"Starlight, thank God you and the others are alright!" he said to her as the rest of the family came in for a group hug.

Rain looked around.

"Where's my husband? Where's Jackson?" she said to him.

"Jackson ran to find shelter with his son. That's what he couldn't remember, his son was taken but we found him with the others. The Doctor…"

He trailed off but Rain guessed the rest of it.

"Oh God, no. he's not taking that thing on by himself," she moaned.

"Rain, he'll be alright," Alan said, taking her arm.

Rain pulled her husband's mind forward and threw up a block.

_No, Thete, you can't do this alone,_ she thought to him.

_I must. Just find Alan. Stay with him. I'll return to you, my love, I promise. Don't worry, I have a plan._

_Please be careful, Love, please._

_I will. Now let me go so I can do this without distractions. I love you, Latara._

_I love you too._

Reluctantly, she cut off communication and stood with her family watching while the robot continued to terrorize the city. They gasped when the robot began to shoot fireballs and laser beams at the buildings. They were so preoccupied on whether or not they were gonna get barbecued that they didn't notice the balloon until Donna pointed it out to them.

"Oh God…" Rain said while she watched the huge Cyberrobot turn and face the tiny balloon.

They listened to Hartigan speaking to the Doctor through the tannoy system. They could hear the Doctor yelling back but they couldn't make out his replies.

"Boy, she's got something against men, doesn't she?" Mingxia said.

Alan let out a mirthless laugh.

"I suspect living in Victorian society she has a legitimate argument against hating men," he said.

"I wish we could hear what Dad was saying."

"Me too," Rain said.

Their eyes widened when they saw a large blue ray shoot into the mouth of the Cyberking.

"Hmm, concentrated info stamp beam, brilliant," Alan said. "I guess Brother does have a chance after all."

"Then I have made you a failure, your weapons are useless, sir."

"Damn, didn't get Bitchybutt, I see," Awinita said.

Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched wailing and they looked at one another. Then, to their horror, they saw the Cyberking began to teeter and fall.

"Oh crap, not good!" Alan said. "Inside the TARDIS everyone!"

He ran past them and reached inside his pocket for the key while they listened to explosions coming from the Cyberking's body and the terrified screams of Londoners trying to get out of the way. Alan unlocked the TARDIS and was about to throw open the door when Rose called out to him. He looked over, saw her pointing and looked up to see multicolored circles of light emanating from the balloon and enveloping the faltering robot. He paused and stepped up beside his family watching while the robot disappeared into thin air.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Awinita said.

"The dimension vault," Alan said. "I think he used the main part of it to send the Cyberking into the vortex."

_Everyone,_ the Doctor though to them. _I'm alright._

They breathed a sigh of relief.

_See, Latara,_ he thought. _And you doubted me, shame on you._

_Just get down here so I can kiss you,_ she thought back.

He chuckled inside her mind before sending her a wave of love.

Suddenly, they heard the faint sounds of thunderous applause and cheers.

_Well, imagine that. I think I'm getting a standing ovation,_ he thought to his family.

They looked at one another and joined in with it. The people around them looked back at what they were doing and followed suit until everyone in their area was also applauding and cheering the Doctor.

_Thank you, thank you,_ he thought to his family_. I appreciate your applause, people of London and now a small monetary donation would be appreciated for services rendered._

_Get down here, ya goof, _Rose thought back._ Before your enormous ego pushes you out of the basket and you fall to your death._

_Oi! _He thought back as they laughed.

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Rain ran to her husband when they found him about halfway to the TARDIS and he enveloped her in a hug. Behind him, Jackson stood with Rosita who was holding Frederick. He smiled when they shared a kiss. He pulled away and turned to face their new friend.

"London will recover, as it always does," he said to the Doctor. "And this will be spoken about for centuries to come."

"Yeah, it will," the Doctor replied. "London will forever remember the time it was menaced by a giant Power Rangers robot."

"And today begins a new history for me. I find myself a widower but with my son and a good friend. Frederick will need a nursemaid and I can think of none better."

They smiled when Rosita blushed at that.

"You're welcome to join us," Jackson said to him and his family. "We thought we might dine together and remember those whom we've lost."

The Doctor glanced at his family and smiled at him.

"I think we could manage that," he said.

"Excellent! But might I ask one favor of you, Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Your TARDIS, might I see it?"

"Sure," the Doctor said, shrugging. "Follow us."

He smiled when Jackson grinned ear to ear. He clapped him on the shoulder and took Rain's hand while they walked back towards it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello there, you two!" Alan said when they opened the door and Rory and Blizzard came running up to greet them.

Donna and Mingxia quickly snatched them up before they got out the door and all of them stepped aside to let Jackson, Rosita and Frederick in. The three of them stared at the interior in complete shock.

"Doctor, this is beyond belief," Jackson said as the rest of them came inside and he shut the door. "This is beyond imagination."

"That it is," the Doctor said, nodding. "And now that you're in here as our guests, would you fancy a quick trip to see what one of the worlds in this wide universe looks like?"

Jackson grinned.

"I would be honored, sir," he said.

"Have a seat," the Doctor said gesturing to the jump seat.

All of them except for Donna and Mingxia walked to the console while their friends sat down on the jump seat and watched with anticipation.

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The Doctor opened the door and stepped aside to let his friends pass.

"This is Berengia," he said as the others followed them. "In the Mistfall Galaxy, several billion light years away from Earth."

Jackson stared at the surroundings in stunned silence. The planet's surface was barren and made of red rocks and dust. Above them was a red sky with a distant sun and a nearby ringed planet.

"Nothing really lives here except small rodents and animals. The ground isn't suitable for planting or habitation but I happen to know it's safe which is why I brought you here and it's got a lovely view of Astroleth right there," the Doctor said, pointing to the ringed planet.

Jackson turned to him.

"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much for this. I will treasure this moment always," he said.

"Well, I couldn't let you go without showing you a little sampling of what's out there. Consider it payment for our meal," he said to him.

He nodded and turned to Rosita.

"I know I'm gonna have to keep me mouth shut on this cause I'll be thrown into Bedlam if I say one word 'bout it," she said.

He chuckled and took Frederick into his arms.

"Isn't it amazing, son?" he said.

Frederick nodded and glanced up at the sky.

The Doctor let them look for a few minutes more before he called for them to come back inside. Once everyone was back inside, he set a course and took them back to London for their feast.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Two months had passed since their encounter with Jackson Lake and although the family thought of him and wondered if he was alright they got on with business as usual and went back to exploring time and space. Rose's 25th birthday came and went and all of them gave her a huge birthday bash at a hotel specially designed for birthdays on a pleasure planet on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy. They tried to get Jack and Torchwood and Sarah Jane and the teens to come with them but they were off on separate cases although all of them sent their love and warmest birthday wishes to her.

In the meantime, the two dogs had gotten fully adjusted to TARDIS life. Both of them had their stitches out and had grown, doubling in size. They also found they had developed quite different personalities. Rory was the more energetic of the pair, always romping and playing and getting into mischief while Blizzard was more sedate and mellow and much more timid at times. Blizzard also seemed to favor the brothers while Rory loved being with the women. The Doctor actually enjoyed Blizzard's company. When she was big enough to get up on the jump seat, she quickly made it her napping spot and the Doctor loved being at the console and seeing her asleep behind her, stretched out on the battered seat.

They also decided that both needed obedience training. Not because they feared them getting out of the TARDIS since the TARDIS could block the entrance but because they never knew what might be lurking outside, particularly if someone had weapons that they could fire into the TARDIS and potentially hit the dogs along with them. Also, they needed to get Rory under control since she was becoming very rambunctious. So the Doctor went online on the universal wide web and found a reputable obedience school on Andromeda that would accept and accommodate their disabilities. They dropped them off and immediately went forward in time a month to the end of the training session to collect their dogs. After that, they had no trouble with either of them. Both dogs listened to every command and they finally felt comfortable enough to go to planets with safe environments so they could go outside, get some fresh air and play a little bit. Both dogs played with the family and each other but Blizzard tended to stay nearer the family members. The Doctor thought about that and theorized that her missing leg made her less likely to go tearing off like her sister and also perhaps it had been a bigger trauma on her than the loss of Rory's eye had been and she felt more comfortable being in the company of her masters and mistresses. They noticed that Rory was very protective of her and that both dogs were extremely protective of them even going so far as to growl at aliens that got too close to them whenever they ventured outside. Inside, the dogs roamed around but the TARDIS continued to throw up barriers when they got too far. Eventually the dogs learned where they could and couldn't go and the TARDIS had no need to do that anymore. They also learned the park room was the place to go indoors when they needed to do their business and the TARDIS widened the hole in the door as the puppies grew.

The Doctor also loved Blizzard's company. He loved it whenever she would come over and put her front paws on the rim of the console so he could pet her and scratch her ears. Granted he had a dog before them but K9, as wonderful as he was, wasn't built for petting like Blizzard. The feel of her warm fur was wonderful and comforting to him and he often found himself talking to the dog while he worked on the TARDIS or just did various odd jobs and Blizzard would listen quietly to her master's voice while her tail wagged happily. Both she and Rory were now considered members of the family like everyone else in the ship and they added to the overall happy atmosphere and comfort that made the TARDIS a sanctuary and a true home for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was now a couple of days before Alan's first birthday and everyone had been planning a huge party, especially since this was a milestone for him. To everyone's relief, both Torchwood and Sarah Jane and her friends were free to come and accepted the invitations and they also invited Rose's family and Wilf as well. They had tried to pick up some presents and party supplies whenever Alan laid down for a nap but his naps were few and far between and eventually Alan volunteered to stay in the TARDIS with the dogs while they went out shopping. Afterwards, he made sure to keep far away from them when they returned so they could hide whatever they had purchased.

Everyone except him had spent several hours over the course of a month decorating the party room that they had used for the meet and greet. They knew the TARDIS could whip up the decorations without breaking a sweat, but all of them wanted to do it personally since it was such a special time for their brother. After they finished with the room, the TARDIS sealed the door up until the time of the party, hiding it and the wrapped presents until they were ready to celebrate. Afterwards, they decided to lay down for a nap and recharge their batteries. Rose mentally called to Alan and he came to her and they lay down in their room. Everyone napped except the two couples. Both couples made love to one another, taking advantage of the privacy and the rare peace and quiet. After they finished, Alan lay with his wife caressing her naked body.

"So, I guess you got all the party preparations done then?" he asked her.

"Yup, we're all ready for your birthday, Friday," she said.

He grinned.

"One year, Amo'tiri, imagine that. I made it to one year old," he said.

Rose raised her eyebrow.

"You act like that's a surprise."

"Well, you know, in one year I fought the Daleks, Valeyard, Rani and the Cybermen, four of the Doctor's greatest enemies, not to mention all the other baddies we've come up against. I have a right to be proud considering I survived all that."

"Yes, you do," Rose said, kissing his lips. "It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we first met."

"Tell me about it, seems like ages ago when we fought Davros. And so much has happened in that time. I never thought when we were sitting there stuck in that hotel in Norway that we'd end up back on the TARDIS with the Doctor and a family."

"And that the Doctor would welcome us back after all that happened," she said, playing with a little of his chest hair.

"Eh, he would have welcomed you back with no problem, I was the one he really kicked out, you know. You were just the babysitter."

"And you need one as hyper as you are. I'm surprised Rory doesn't fancy you more since you and her love to run all over the place actin' crazy."

"I wouldn't talk, Starlight, you've had your share of crazy moments as well."

"Yeah, well, that's because I caught the crazy bug from ya," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Uh, no, I seem to recall you were also crazy when you were with the Doctor. I don't think it started with me."

"No, but you made it worse," she teased.

She laughed when he began to tickle her.

"I'm a bad influence, is that it?"he said. "Alan the Crazy Crackers Clone corrupting ya, eh? Is that it, Mrs. Timelord? Weeeeeeell, you should have thought of that aaaaaaall the way back in Sedona when you said I do, huh? Because now you and me are stuck throughout the centuries and there's no mellowing out for me because I have Noble-bloody-itis and her genes are running throughout my thin little body!"

He grinned when she laughed hysterically and let up on the tickling. Alan sighed as she snuggled her naked body against his.

"Aaaaah, I know my brother probably thinks he's the luckiest man in the universe but I'll have to disagree on that. I think I am because I've got a rare little treasure right here in my arms and come hell or high water, I'm never letting ya go," he said.

Rose smiled and kissed him passionately.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rain let out a contented sigh while she lay naked with her husband in their bed. She had her head on his chest and turned it so she could kiss his skin. He smiled and rubbed her back.

"I'm so glad you decided to do this, Thete," she said, looking up at him.

"Well, I wasn't that sleepy and I'm always up for a shag with my loving wife."

"Mmmm, me too."

She glanced at him when she heard him chuckle.

"What?" she said, smiling.

"Wasn't it just a few short months ago that you were a shy, timid girl who was hesitant about going starkers with me in the lavatory and touching my private parts?" he said. "And now here you are, loving sex. And it's only been a few months since we first met each other."

She smiled and laid her head back on his chest.

"Seems like ages since the day we met, Thete," she sighed, listening to his heartbeats.

She glanced at him.

"Course you were Morana back then," she teased.

He giggled.

"Yes, my brief flirtation with the opposite sex," he said. "Course we can't forget Brother dear's even briefer stint as Bridget, can we?"

"That was odd," she said. "You still have that imager?"

"Um, somewhere in the lab, I think. I have things floating around all over this TARDIS. I'm sure eventually I'll forget about it until a few centuries from now when I'll just suddenly stumble across it."

"I'd keep an eye on it if I were you, Thete. Might come in handy again."

"Are you suggesting the Oncoming Storm go incognito sometime as a woman?"

She laughed.

"You never know, Love. One day we might accidentally meet the Amazons and you'll need to pass yourself off as a woman so they don't kill you."

"Hmm, good point. Although, what's my brother gonna do then?"

"Um, stay in the TARDIS with the dogs or drop him off with our other brother in Cardiff?"

"Oh God, Jack and Alan together. I don't think Cardiff would survive," he said as she laughed.

She sighed and lay on her back while the Doctor rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand while he ran his other finger around her left areola. She smiled while she watched him do it.

"I never imagined when I was younger that I'd ever find anyone as wonderful as you," she said to him.

The Doctor smiled.

"Well, considering the type of home life you had I can understand that. I never imagined I'd find anyone like you either."

She frowned.

"Do you ever regret not being with Rose?" she asked.

He gave her a shocked look.

"No, Love, I don't. I love you. Rose and I were lovers but that's in the past and the past is where it's gonna stay. Oh no, please don't tell me you still have insecurities about this, not after all the love I've shown you."

"No, I know you love me. I'm just curious, I guess, since she was the first real love of your life."

"She holds a special place in my hearts but so does everyone else on this ship. We had a relationship but it's in the past and at the end of the day you're the one I want beside me in our bed, not her. She's with my brother and I think my brother would punch me if I made advances towards her. Trust me, Love, if I wanted Rose I would have stuck with my original plan to break them up and take her back with me. But you came along, I changed my mind and here we are. You are the one I married and I don't take marriage vows lightly especially considering I was a bachelor for several centuries. I did the bonding ceremony with her and she's my sister now and that's how I'll always view her. Are you sure this is just innocent curiosity or are you really terrified I'm gonna leave you?"

"No, I know you love me more than anything."

"Good, because I do."

"What about your first wife though? Just out of curiosity. You said you had problems with the relationship but did you love her as much as you love me?"

"No. I loved her but I wasn't in love with her like I am with you. That marriage was more a matter of peer pressure. I was young and so was Sharina and we did what we thought everyone wanted us to do. It was more like an arranged marriage since our two houses were eager to get us married off. I think my house especially since not many of my cousins liked me and I'm sure they wanted me out of the house so they wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. I wasn't thrilled being around them either so I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, escaping from people you don't like isn't a good reason to get married and Sharina wasn't right for me. She was too traditional. She needed a traditional minded Gallifreyan which I wasn't and that caused a lot of tension between us. We went ahead and loomed Dex in an effort to bring us closer but again, having a child to try to mend a failing marriage is a dumb thing to do on any planet, let alone Gallifrey. I loved my son but I just couldn't handle the responsibility, Love. Not at that age. I realize 160 sounds old to you but on Gallifrey that's barely out of the teenage years and that's how old I was when I got married. I was more interested in exploring than being a homebody which as you can tell hasn't changed in 1,040 years but you're different, Latara. You're a free spirit like I am. You love traveling and going to different places which is why we get along so well. Sharina wasn't like that. She was domestic through and through and she gave me pure hell the moment I dared to put one toe out the door. She was also very abusive and very vindictive. When the marriage was annulled, she basically forbade me from seeing my son and told him a lot of rubbish about me, according to mutual friends."

"Oh God, Thete," Rain said. "That's horrible. I hate that she kept you from your son like that."

He nodded.

"Yeah, I did try to see him but she threatened to have me arrested if I came within sight of him. In the end, I just gave up since I wasn't getting anywhere and devoted myself to exploring. Then, I found the TARDIS and once I had her in my possession that was it. I didn't see Dex again until about six months before they recruited me to end Gallifrey and it was a very chilly meeting to put it politely. We didn't have much to say which broke my hearts but I understood his anger because of what he'd grown up with."

"Your wife let you see him then?"

She didn't have a say in the matter. There was a minor attack on Gallifrey about two months prior to that. The Daleks were trying to gain a foothold on the planet and they eventually did, which is why the High Council wanted me to destroy everything. Unfortunately, Sharina's house was one of the ones they attacked when they landed the first time and her and her cousins were slaughtered. Dex was spared because he was off at Academy.

"Oh Thete, Love, I'm so sorry," she said, stroking his cheek.

He nodded.

"I found him there…at the academy. I caught him in between classes and tried to talk to him in the corridor but I got a very frosty reception and he was angry and didn't say more than a few terse words to me. I tried to tell him I loved him and explain what happened between me and Sharina but he was having none of it. In his eyes the war was all my fault, I killed his mum and I was a complete bastard for leaving her and him in the first place. I couldn't get through to him so I said goodbye and left. Then six months later, I killed everyone on the planet…or thought I did since the Master and Rani and Valeyard survived, I guess. But I'm assuming Dex was on the planet at the time since I can't feel him in my mind."

"But I don't understand, Love. Why did they let everyone die? I mean you're not the only one who had a TARDIS. Why didn't they move everyone to a different planet?"

He sighed.

"The High Council had a lot to do with it. I think they thought that most people wouldn't want to live anywhere except on Gallifrey. Like I said, I was unique because I loved exploring and visiting other planets, especially Earth. I can't begin to understand their logic, Latara, because most of the members of the High Council were daft to begin with. I think it was just a weariness by then and a desire to see the war ended after 22 years and they probably figured if both races were exterminated that would be it. I know I was chosen because they knew I loved to travel and they figured I'd be able to adapt to the loss of the planet better than anyone else. That and Earth was my second home anyway so I guess they figured I could go back there if I needed to. The reason why no one left is because they didn't tell anyone until it was too late and then they forbade anyone from leaving."

"Oh God…then you didn't murder them, Love. They did."

The Doctor considered that and nodded.

"I guess that's true although I didn't see it like that. Believe me, Latara, I argued long and loud for them to let everyone have enough time to leave the planet but in the end I was shouted down. I begged them to let me take Dex and Romana and my other friends away but they forbade that too. Romana was president at the time and knew what was going to happen so I got to say goodbye to her and I went for one last visit with my other friends, although I didn't say it was my last because I didn't want them to see them upset. Then I went up in my TARDIS and waited off world and three days later, the Council gave me the signal and I destroyed everyone and everything on the planet."

He felt her anger flair up in his mind.

"Those murdering monsters," she said. "I'm sorry, Love, but they're the ones responsible for everyone's deaths since they kept everyone there and let the planet fry. They could have found another planet for everyone to go to and just lured the Daleks there and then let you destroy it. I'm guessing they guilt tripped you into doing this, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. That and the Daleks had just begun to swarm the planet and were killing people en masse. Trust me, at the time, I wanted to die with them because like I told you, I didn't want to be the last and have the big gaping void in my mind. Course I don't feel that way now."

"Good," Rain said, stroking his cheek. "I'm glad. Because after you told me all that. I'm convinced that you're just as much a victim as everyone else was even if you did destroy the planet. You were guilted into it, Love, by a bunch of people who didn't care about you or what would happen to you after they were gone. In fact, that's why they didn't care because they were gonna be dead. They were cowards, Thete, plain and simple, and they dragged everyone else down with them, yourself included since you suffered after they were gone."

The Doctor stared at her quietly.

"You know…that's why I love humans. You lot are able to think of things like this. You and Rose both have that ability to see things clearly and suss things out so they make sense to me. I think that's a gift that humanity has and you both have kept that, thankfully, when you were converted. You both can see things I can't or don't want to see. I'm sure the others have it too but I never looked at myself as being a victim since I was the one who did the deed."

"Yes, but you are. From what you told me just now and what you've told me before about the ruling class on Gallifrey, they've conned you a lot of times and made you do things you didn't want to do and they used your sense of duty and honor against you. I think that's another reason why you were picked, my Darling, because they knew you would think it was your duty to get rid of the Daleks and bring peace to the universe and they knew you probably wouldn't refuse if they asked you to do this insane thing. And it was insane. I'm sure there were several ways you could have ended this war without destroying Gallifrey in the process. Love, you could have figured out a way to end it without killing everyone but they probably didn't listen because as you said, they couldn't bear to be without their home world and in their arrogance, they figured everyone was the same except for you, the so-called renegade. Well, you know what? I'm glad you are a renegade since I never would have met you, otherwise. You are a true hero, Thete. You are a credit to the Gallifreyan race, not the cowards who ordered you to slaughter all those innocents…and don't cry at that, my Love. It's the truth. I know you don't handle praise all that well, but you are. Like I said, you're wonderful and I'll never stop believing that, no matter what happens."

The Doctor smiled and stroked her hair quietly.

"I feel the same way. You're wonderful too and I will always love you, no matter what."

She smiled and snuggled close to him. He pulled the blanked up around her shoulder and draped his arm over her while he stared at her quietly.

Suddenly, there was a violent lurch and the TARDIS began to shift around. Rain screamed when both of them tumbled out of the bed onto the floor.

"Thete? What's going on?" she said at the same time his brother asked that very question in his mind.

There was another lurch and the Doctor rolled with Rain seconds before a stack of books came crashing down from the dresser onto the spot she was just at.

_What the hell is going on?_ Donna thought. _Can't you fly the TARDIS properly?_

_It's not me!_ The Doctor thought to them_. I'm in the bedroom with Rain._

He got to his feet while the TARDIS continued to rock back and forth and helped his wife up. They grabbed their bathrobes and tied them shut while they ran out into the hallway towards the console room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Doctor and Rain slowly made their way to the console room. Everyone else was behind them and every once in awhile the TARDIS would lurch and they would grunt as they were thrown up against the walls.

"Oh God, I hope we get to the console room in one piece," Awinita said, finally keeping her body up against the wall.

"What's going on?" Mingxia asked.

"The last time this happened, Imiko was responsible," Awinita said.

Rain looked back at her and looked at the Doctor.

"Imiko? If it's her, why would she be summoning us?" she said.

"If it is her, I hope she doesn't tear my ship apart summoning us because I'll wring her Kitsune neck!" the Doctor grunted when there was another violent lurch and he was shoved back up against the wall.

They finally made it to the console room and tried to keep on their feet while they quickly moved to the console. The Doctor glanced down at the jump seat and saw the two dogs under it, whimpering in fear. They got around the console and worked frantically trying to get it under control again. He cursed when nothing worked.

"No wonder I have to keep repairing my ship!" he yelled while everyone held on for dear life.

Suddenly, the TARDIS landed hard and the Doctor was propelled back onto the jump seat while everyone else was thrown to the floor. He tried to see where they landed but the monitor shut off before he could see the readout.

"Right, I'm gonna have a word with Miss Fox Spirit about devising a smoother way to bring us to her," he said.

He looked around at his family who were struggling to get up.

"Everyone alright?" he said, standing up.

"I will be once my cracked ribs mend," Alan said, groaning as he grabbed hold of the console rim.

The Doctor felt the dogs nudge his legs and looked down at them.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, petting them while they slowly came out from under the jump seat.

They wagged their tails and licked his hands in response.

They all looked towards the door waiting for it to open but nothing happened. Finally, Awinita pulled out her sonic screwdriver and tentatively went towards the door.

"Careful, Te'lesu," Alan said.

"No worries, Bro," she replied. "I figured I'd be the welcome wagon since you and Bro and Rose and Rain aren't exactly dressed for it."

"Yeah, well the four of us didn't have time to throw some proper kit on since we were preoccupied with the crisis at hand," he replied, gesturing to his boxer shorts.

Awinita paused by the door while Donna, Mingxia and Jenny came up behind her.

"Imiko?" Awinita yelled through the door. "Are you out there?"

She paused and listened through the door for a response. When she didn't hear anything, she unlocked it and slowly opened the door, screwdriver at the ready. The Doctor noticed the dogs starting to follow her.

"Sit!" he said to them.

Both of them sat and watched quietly while the Doctor turned his attention back to his sister who was slowly opening the door. She stuck her head out and looked around while the other three women came down the ramp behind her.

"See anything?" Donna asked.

"Not yet," Awinita replied.

She opened the door further and stepped outside. She noticed they were in the woods, just at the edge of a large field. She stepped outside, stepped through the trees and stood in the field while she looked around.

"Do you see Imiko?" Rose asked.

"No. All I see is a farm," Awinita said, pointing off to her right.

She hesitated a moment and looked back at the TARDIS and her family standing inside watching her.

"Imiko?" Awinita called as she ventured further away.

She looked around again and shrugged.

"I don't see her, guys," she said.

The Doctor looked at Alan.

"So why are we here then?" he said to him.

"Um, I'm not sure. But you know the last time this happened before Imiko came along, you got pulled to Messaline and ended up with a kid so I'd keep your hands firmly in your pockets this time," he said.

By now all four women were outside in the field looking around them. The Doctor glanced at Rain, Rose and Alan.

"I think it's safe enough for us to go back and get dressed," he said to them.

They nodded and told the other women where there were going.

"Stay by the TARDIS till we get outside," the Doctor said.

"We will," Mingxia replied.

The Doctor closed the door. Alan grabbed the puppies and followed the others back to their bedrooms. In the meantime, the women walked a few feet away and examined their surroundings. They were in the middle of a field of tall grass with a large farm a half mile to their right and another farm off to their left, far away in the distance. There was a gap in the field that they assumed was made by a road or path and then another field stretched on past that. They stared at the farm closest to them. There was a white two story house with a wooden wraparound porch, a red barn with a silo and a large, white wooden fence that had several cows and two brown horses contained within it. Off to the side was a large garden containing an assortment of vegetables. They heard a rooster crowing faintly but couldn't see a chicken coop from where they were standing.

"Very rustic," Donna commented. "What's the monster gonna be? A killer cow or a gigantic zombie chicken?"

"If there even is a monster," Mingxia said.

"Oh, I'm sure there's some kind of monster somewhere," Donna replied.

Awinita looked closely at the farm.

"I don't see a car," she said, "or tractors or farm equipment."

Ten minutes later, the door opened and the other four stepped out, fully dressed.

"Have you determined why we're here yet?" the Doctor said, closing the door and stepping through the trees.

"Nope," Awinita said. "So far we've just been staring at this farm. But there's no sign of anyone there except the horses, cows and a rooster."

"No sign of anyone, anywhere," Mingxia added.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about monsters for the moment," the Doctor said.

"Hey!" Jenny said.

They looked at her. She was pointing at the gap between the fields. They saw a dark brown horse pulling a black two person buggy in between it, confirming that it was a road.

"Okay, um…are we in the 1800's?" Mingxia said. "I mean the farm doesn't have any sign of a car and there's a horse and buggy."

"Yeah, but…they could be Amish," Awinita said. "Amish don't have any cars, live on farms and drive horse and buggies like that."

Alan looked at the Doctor.

"So the TARDIS decided she just had to go visit the Amish?" he said.

"There must be some reason why we were brought here," he said. "And perhaps the answer is at this farm. So, I say we go up to the house, knock on the door and see who lives there."

They walked towards it. While they did, they kept an eye out for any signs of human life but they couldn't see anyone.

"Um, is anyone even home?" Donna asked.

"If they're Amish, maybe they went to help neighbors with building a barn or somethin'," Rose suggested.

"Great," Mingxia said. "And with our luck, we'll get the militant Amish who shoot trespassers on sight."

Awinita stopped short. They looked at her.

"What is it, Sis?" Rose said.

"I just had a thought."

"And that thought is?" the Doctor said.

"Um…if this is the 1800's, I think Rain and I better hang back behind you guys."

"Why?" Rain asked.

Awinita held up her hand and pointed to her skin.

"1800's, Rain, possibly somewhere in America for all we know and we're Indians?"

Rain shrugged.

"So, we're just walking up to the house. We're not riding ponies towards it at full speed with war paint on our bodies and tomahawks in our hands."

"Yeah but that didn't matter to some people. You do remember a popular saying in the 1800's was the only good Indian is a dead Indian?"

"Not to worry, Te'lesu, if anyone thinks of harming you or Rain they'll have six angry people throttling them in a heartbeat," Alan said.

"Well, you might have to protect me then," Mingxia said. "Chinese people weren't exactly popular in the 1800's either. I might get sent to work on a railroad somewhere."

"Well, if we're following your lot's logic," Alan said, "it could also be 1812 which means those of us with British accents will be tarred and feathered. Before we get nervous and think these people are going to start shooting and enslaving us, let's just go up to the house and see if anyone's even home. We're not even sure we're in America yet, so just calm down, okay?"

They nodded and started walking again. When they got about twenty feet from the house, the front door opened and two young children came out on the porch. They stopped and stared at them. Both of them were wearing light blue loose dresses that came down to their ankles, peach and white colored bonnets that covered the top of their long brown hair and Doc Martins.

"Okay, I definitely think this is the 1800's then," Awinita said.

The children stared at them quietly. The Doctor walked around his family and headed towards them.

"Hello there, I'm the Doctor, are your parents home?" he called to them.

The older of the two children walked to the edge of the porch.

"Yes, they are, Sir," she said with an American accent while the younger one stood back against the door.

The Doctor paused about five feet from her and gave her a warm smile.

"Well, we're traveling and my family and I were wondering if we might come in and rest awhile?" he asked.

The child shrugged.

"Wait here. I'll ask my Pa," she said.

The Doctor nodded and watched while the two of them went inside. He looked around when the rest of his family came up behind him.

"Well, so far, so good," he said. "She had a southern accent so we must be somewhere in the American south.

The door opened and a man in his mid forties came outside and stared at them. He had a thin face with a square jaw, long thin nose, light brown hair and light blue eyes. He gave them a suspicious look.

"Ya'll travelin'?" he said with a heavy southern accent.

"Yes. I'm the Doctor and this is my family. We're traveling and we were wondering if we might rest awhile."

Awinita backed up nervously and stood beside Rain when the man's scrutinizing gaze settled on them. He looked from them to Mingxia and back.

"Ya'll got an oriental and two Indians in your family?" he said to the Doctor.

"Yes, we adopted them."

The man looked at the rest of them.

"The only one who resembles ya is the fella in the back," he said, pointing to Alan.

"Yes, that's my twin brother, Alan. This is his wife, Rose. This is Jenny…she's…the daughter of my first wife. And the rest of my sisters are adopted. This is Donna, Mingxia, Awinita…."

He stepped up to Rain and took her hand.

"And this is my second wife, Rain."

He noticed a shocked look pass over his face for a moment and he stared at him, silently daring him to say something derogatory to her face. But to his credit, the man merely nodded.

"Name's Joseph Sanders," he said. "My two girls are Amelia and Opal. Amelia's the one ya talked to. She's eight and Opal's six."

"You had children late in life," the Doctor noted.

He nodded.

"First wife died. My other wife, Patience, is inside. We're cookin' some vittles if ya wanna join us. Nothin' fancy, just some chicken and fried potatoes and corn pone, but we have enough for all of ya."

"Thank you, much obliged," the Doctor said.

He beckoned to them and they went up the stairs into the house.

"So, what brings ya'll to Georgia?" he said while they stepped inside.

"Um, just…traveling around America, seeing the sights," the Doctor said, looking at the wooden wall beside him and the framed cross stitch sampler hanging on it.

"Ya'll lookin' to get yourself killed?"

"Killed?" the Doctor said, frowning.

"Tarnation, doncha know there's a war goin' on?" he said.

"No, we just got off a boat from England a few days ago," the Doctor said, shrugging.

"And they don't know about the war over there?"

"They might but we live in a very rural area," the Doctor replied. "What war is it?"

"The War Between The States. Our boys are fighting those damn Yankees."

The Doctor's mouth formed an O.

_Well, that narrows the time down considerably,_ he thought to the others.

"So this ya first time to America? I mean, if you got two Indians…"

"No, actually, we were here before about twenty years ago. We had a friend whose Cherokee wife died and she had two daughters so we took them back with us since he didn't have enough money to support them and my brother here raised them. I fell in love with Rain and when she was old enough, I married her."

_Imagine that, Sis, you're Cherokee now,_ Awinita thought to her.

"Hmm, never been to England before. We never had enough money to travel that far," he said, leading them into the kitchen.

Rain poked her husband's side and he glanced at her while they stood by the kitchen table.

_Watch this, Love,_ she thought to him.

She cleared her throat.

"Oh, England is positively delightful," she said with a perfect cockney accent. "My sister and I love it so."

_Whoa! Good job, Sis,_ Alan thought to her with a huge grin on his face.

_Yup, I definitely love being a Time Lady and knowing all the different languages and accents,_ Rain thought back to him.

She glanced at the Doctor and he winked and gave her a proud smile.

_Oh yeah, two can play at this game,_ Awinita thought.

"Yes, England is a lovely country. So different from our native land here," she said with another perfect cockney accent.

"Yes, I do enjoy living in England. It's jolly nice," Mingxia said with a cockney accent.

The rest of the family had to fight to keep from laughing.

_See guys, I can do it too,_ Mingxia thought.

_What is this? A British accent pissing contest between the three of you?_ Alan thought back.

The three women bit their lips hard to keep from laughing.

"Have a seat, well…some of ya at any rate. Dunno where my wife is at but she should be along presently. I'll try to find her and tell her ya'll are here," he said to them.

He left the room. The brothers let the women sit down and Jenny, Donna, Awinita and Mingxia sat while Rose and Rain stood by their husbands.

_Oh goody_, Awinita thought to her family. _We've landed in the deep south during the Civil War. Are we gonna be in our own personal Gone with the Wind then since we're in Georgia? Cause I'm betting Sherman will be through here in a few minutes torching everything in sight._

_Maybe we're here to free the slaves? _Rain thought.

_How? _Donna thought back._ Go from plantation to plantation with the TARDIS, crowd em all in there and take them to Canada? _

_No, that's not the reason why we're here, _the Doctor mentally assured them._ There's something else and I'm sure it has something to do with this farmhouse._

They heard a gasp, jerked their heads around and saw a woman standing in the kitchen doorway staring at them in complete shock.

"Mercy me, who are all of you and what are ya'll doin' in my kitchen?" she said.

_Apparently, Joseph didn't find his wife in time to tell her about us,_ Alan thought to them.

"Um, I'm the Doctor. This is my family. We're traveling and we just stopped for a rest. Your husband let us in and went to find you to tell you but I guess he missed you."

"I guess so," she said, looking at everyone.

She noticed Mingxia, Rain and Awinita.

"All of these people are your family?" she asked.

_Yes, lady, we're his family,_ Awinita thought, annoyed. _I'm sorry if you think it isn't possible for people to adopt Indians and Chinese as their sisters and take them for their wives. _

The Doctor told her what he told Joseph. While he was talking, Joseph entered with their daughters.

"Ah, there you are, my Darling," he said, walking up to her.

The Doctor finished his explanation and Patience looked at her husband.

"Ya shoulda come and told me first. But ya'll are welcome here and we do have enough for you to eat. So ya'll go and wash up and we'll set a place for ya and find some more chairs."

The Doctor thanked her and nodded to his family. They stood up, listened to Joseph's directions to the bathroom and then went to wash their hands.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Rain fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat while she ate her meal. She was sitting beside her husband who was carrying on the main bulk of the conversation but every once in awhile she noticed Patience staring at her, particularly her pink t-shirt and blue jeans. The Doctor did explain that what they were wearing was the latest fashion in London but still there was a disapproving look from her every so often, leveled at her and the other women and even Alan who was dressed in his tan trousers and black short sleeved t-shirt. Only the Doctor, dressed in his brown pin striped suit, escaped their scrutiny. Or at least she thought that until she caught Joseph eyeing his trainers and the rest of their footwear with a confused look on her face. She knew her husband couldn't possibly care less that they were sizing him up but she wished wholeheartedly they could go back to the TARDIS so she could change into a dress.

The other thing that made her uneasy was the fact that she could tell she was staring at her and Awinita and Mingxia's faces and knew her stare was because they weren't white. She didn't think they would do anything to them, certainly not with her husband and brother sitting beside them but still, she knew she would breathe a sigh of relief when they found out the reason for the TARDIS coming here and left the place for good. It was the first time in her travels with the Doctor that she had come across this kind of prejudice against her and her sisters. Everywhere else they had gone the people they met had been accepting of them and didn't think to question why the Doctor had married her whenever he introduced her as his wife. The reason she had dismissed her sister's fears earlier was because she assumed it would be the same here but now she realized that even with a bunch of white people in the room, they were still being singled out for scrutiny. That was why she was content to sit and eat and let her husband handle the conversation. She didn't think since he was so busy talking that he had noticed her uneasiness but while she was chewing on a bit of chicken she suddenly felt him sending love into her mind.

_Don't worry, my hearts,_ he thought to her. _They won't lay a finger on you as long as I'm here._

She had been surprised at that because it had come from out of the blue while he was talking with them about Gettysburg which they found out had happened a week ago. The surprise must have registered in his mind because then he thought.

_I know what's she's doing, Latara. I'm not blind to the looks she's been giving you and our sisters. Trust me; I'm keeping as close an eye on her and Joseph as they are on you. Don't worry about them. You are loved by us, who cares what they think? _

She smiled when he slipped his hand into hers under the table and gave it a squeeze.

The Doctor took a sip of iced tea.

"Listen, I hate to be forward but I was wondering if we might spend the night here? We're very weary from traveling and we want to give our horses a rest at the stable in town."

"Well, ya'll really shouldn't be travelin' at all, "Joseph said, "what with a war goin' on and all. But you can stay in the hay loft as long as you help with chores 'round here."

"That sounds reasonable," the Doctor said. "What kinds of chores?"

"Milking the cows, feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs, fetchin' water from the stream 'bout a half mile from here and anythin' else that needs tendin'"

_Uh…I can gather water and feed the chickens but I don't know how to do the other two things_, Awinita thought to them.

"_Um…Love; you've milked cows before, haven't you?_ Rain thought to him.

_Nope, never._

_Oh, wonderful. This oughta be really interesting to see then, _Donna thought_. We're all gonna get kicked by the cows and pecked by the chickens and all for a bed of straw in a drafty hay loft. I just love time travelin' sometimes._

_I can't leave until I find out why we've been brought here, _the Doctor thought to her.

_Well, have you even thought of just asking the TARDIS?_

The Doctor glanced at her.

_You really think she'd tell us? With a mind of her own? She's just as stubborn as you sometimes, Te'lesu._

_Oi! _She thought while everyone else fought to keep a straight face.

_Well, Donna, did she tell us anything about Jenny when the TARDIS got pulled to Messaline? _He countered.

_No, I guess not._

_Well, we can figure this out on our own. Besides, I love a good mystery._

_So while everyone's asleep, are we gonna investigate? _Rain thought.

_You have to ask that, Latara? _He thought, grinning at her.

_Just making sure we're on the same page here, _she thought back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After lunch, they went out to explore the farm and see if they could find any clues. They finally located the chicken coop several feet behind the house. Rain walked over to the fence surrounding it and looked down at the clucking hens. She looked at the hen house about fifteen feet away from her and wondered how in the world they were going to gather the eggs without being pecked to death.

She felt a hand on her back and looked at her brother who was smiling warmly at her.

"Sizing up the workload?" he said to her.

_Bro,_ she thought back. _How are we gonna do this? I've never gathered eggs before._

_Well,_ he thought to her. _My theory is we go in there, reach inside the hen house, grab the hens by their necks, fling them outside and take the eggs while they stumble around in a dazed stupor._

_Somehow, I don't think that's it, Bro_, she thought while he snickered.

_Don't worry, Te'lesu. Brother is inside right now explaining to them that we've never dealt with chickens and cows before, only hogs. Perhaps they'll do those duties while we perform other chores._

_I hope so. I really don't feel like getting kicked in the stomach and having my eyes pecked out. _

_Trust me; you aren't the only one in the family who feels that way. _

He put his arm around her and smiled at her while he threw up a privacy block.

_I heard what Brother said to you and I also noticed the looks they were giving you and the others. Trust me, I'm also keeping my eye on them and you don't have anything to fear. It's not just me, it's all of us. We're not gonna let them hurt you or Awinita or Mingxia. It might just be an initial shock anyway and they'll quickly get over it. But I agree with Brother, if they don't warm up to you, who cares? They don't seem like the murdering type, Sis. I don't think they're gonna take an axe to ya. Anyway, we know the true you beneath your brown skin and we love ya with all our hearts regardless of what you look like."_

Rain smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek.

_Aw, thank ya muchly. I enjoy spending time with my Sis especially since I can barely get ya away from Brother these days. It's funny to me how different he is now since you came into his life. I mean, I have his memories, I know what the man was like and it's like night and day. We helped by being his family, but you were the one who helped the most. He's a different man now, Te'lesu and it's mostly thanks to you. I'm so glad you married him. You were just what he needed._

_Bro, he told me about Sharina and Dex and what happened with them._

Alan sighed angrily and shook his head.

_Sharina meant well, Rain. But she wasn't right for him._

_Yes, he said as much. _

_I want to tell you this because I think it'll explain a few things to you about him and Gallifrey. I know you know that Brother was not like the others on his planet. I know he's discussed that with you in the past. But my theory is the reason why he loves humans so much is he acts more human than Gallifreyan. And this is not just since he started coming to Earth, Te'lesu, it's been almost from the time he was loomed. He really had trouble identifying with his own kind. When he was younger, he did try to act more like his people because he was trying to fit in but he just couldn't hide what he was and that's a large part of the reason why he was ostracized. He loves humans because he can relate better to them. That's why your marriage will succeed where his and Sharina's failed. You and he get along perfectly. I've never heard one cross word, one squabble, one knock-down drag-out fight and believe me, that's what went on constantly when he was married the first time. Humans seem to understand him better than Gallifreyans did. He's more at ease around humans, more willing to be himself, although up until we came into his life there was that mask he still wore, but that was more to hide the pain of constant loss than trying to pretend to be something he wasn't. Sharina wasn't a bad woman; she just didn't know how to cope with him because he wasn't like the typical Gallifreyan male. She thought he was irresponsible and to some extent he was, but he was very young and was basically talked into marrying her._

_He told me that. That she was abusive and vindictive._

_She was. But again I think that was frustration and anger that led her to do that. I sincerely believe that at hearts she was a good person, she just got married to a man she had no business marrying in the first place. And when the marriage ended, the venom she had stored up inside got passed to Dex and he turned against his father who honestly did love him. He never hated Dex. He did try to see him but she wouldn't let him because of the anger she still had over the way he acted and the breakup of the marriage. _

_And he finally saw him at the Academy._

_Yes and that was a tragic waste of time because by then Dex believed fully the lies and half truths his mum had told him and there was no convincing him of anything else. It wasn't just anger at him though. He hated humans, hated all humans because in his mind, humans were the reason his father kept leaving the planet when in fact, he was leaving to get away from the anger and abuse in his household. He was the exact opposite of Brother in that he despised Earth, thought all humans were scum and he didn't want to be associated with any of them. He couldn't understand why he kept spending all his time on Earth but whenever Brother tried to explain it to him; he didn't believe him and wouldn't listen. He was his father's son, Te'lesu, he was very stubborn and hardheaded and you couldn't tell the boy anything…or at least you couldn't tell him anything he didn't want to hear. He thought he knew it all and thought he had it all figured out when he really didn't have a clue what was going on. Now, Brother isn't quite as bad as he was but you know there are the same traits within him. Plus I suppose he inherited his mother's temper and judgmental attitude. But I can tell you, Te'lesu, if he had been around when you and the Doctor first fell in love, he would have been furious and your marriage would have enraged him even more._

_Just because I was human?_

_Yes, Sis, because you're one of those interfering dumb apes that stole his father away from him. It wouldn't have been like Jenny where she accepted you right away. There never would have been any acceptance from him, no matter what you did. And I'm sure not even becoming a Gallifreyan would have pacified him. In fact I'm sure it would have made him angrier because now you're were a lowly ape that had become like him, a sort of pretender to the throne, in a manner of speaking. Jenny never got that type of brainwashing which is why she's never thought that way. She knows you used to be human but it doesn't matter to her because she wasn't raised to think humans were lowly and the cause of all her problems. _

_Would he have hurt me? _

Alan sighed.

_I don't know, Sis. I don't know what he would have been capable of had he lived. I hope not but I can't say for certain since he hated humans with a passion. He was filled with irrational hatred and rage and that can make some people do things they normally wouldn't do if they were happy and mentally healthy. I know this, if he ever did come after you or any of my sisters, I would have stopped him any way I knew how and so would Brother. Neither of us would have tolerated his behavior for one second even if he was related to us. We wouldn't put up with that from any of you either. No one in this family has the right to abuse or degrade or hurt the others and he would have been no exception. _

He sighed.

_But I guess this is all a moot point since he's dead but still, I just wanted to let you know a little bit more about why you've never had any trouble in your marriage and why he does like humans so much and naturally, being his clone, I'm the same way and that's why I get along with Rose and have a happy marriage. I wouldn't have lasted with Sharina either. I don't know what all he told you but I hope I added a bit to what he already said._

_You did, Bro. I didn't know about the hating humans so much. _

_Yup, it's a shame too because I'm sure if he had known you lot without the anger and venom, you would have gotten along perfectly. But he made the mistake of believing a bunch of lies and closing his mind to the truth and Brother suffered because of it. I have another theory that maybe that's why he didn't accept Jenny right away either because of what happened with Dex. He didn't want a repeat of all that and risk being rejected by another child of his. But Jenny, bless her, won him over in the end and thankfully he found her again and does have a child that loves him. But I just hope poor Dex finally found peace and respite from his anger in the hereafter._

He smiled at her.

_I guess I better let the block down before everyone else thinks we've dropped off the face of the Earth. But I just wanted to have a little Brother/Sister chat with ya._

_Thank you, I'm glad you did._

He smiled wider when she gave him another peck on the cheek.

_Oooo, I love kisses. They are the greatest invention ever next to big bear hugs. _

She hugged him tightly.

_And thanks again, Te'lesu, you've made my whole day. And speaking of the day, it's gotten extremely hot out here in the time we've been thinking to each other, hasn't it?_

_Yes, it has._

He smiled.

_Let's go inside then and get out of the hot weather for awhile. I realize there's no air-conditioning in the house but we wouldn't be standing here in the blazing hot sun staring at clucking chickens while our brains fried._

She smiled and took his hand. He grinned, kissed the top of her head and let the mental block down while they walked back inside the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Once they got back in the house, they were greeted by the Doctor who pulled them aside for a quiet conversation.

"Where is everyone else?" he asked.

Alan glanced at Rain.

"Donna and Awinita walked to the TARDIS to check on it and the dogs and Rose, Mingxia and Jenny went for a walk around the farm," she whispered.

He nodded and reached out to everyone's minds.

_Everyone, are you there?_ He thought.

_Yeah, we're here, Bro,_ Awinita thought back. _Donna and me are in the TARDIS getting the dogs some food and water._

_We're here,_ Rose thought. _Jenny and Mingxia and I are walking by the stream behind the house. _

The Doctor glanced at Alan and Rain.

_The reason I'm asking is I wanted to tell all of you this at the same time. I just got done talking to Joseph and I explained that we were hog farmers and had never dealt with chickens and cows. So they're gonna take care of the milking and egg gathering if we do everything else._

Thank God, Rain murmured.

_Unless,_ the Doctor thought. _Any of you want to learn how and then he said he'd be happy to teach ya. But they want us up doing chores as soon as the sun rises._

_Fine with me, _Donna thought._ It's hotter 'n hell out there now. I'd rather do these chores at the crack of dawn._

_Yeah, that's the other thing, _the Doctor thought._ I know you lot can handle hot weather better with your Time Lady bodies but still, don't overdo it. I don't want anyone getting heat stroke. Not to mention there is a war on like Joseph said, so all of you be careful._

_No worries, Bro, _Awinita thought._ Where are you though?_

_I'm in the house. Alan and Rain are here with me. I just wanted to contact everyone and let you know what Joseph said. So all of you have fun and be careful._

_We will, _they thought in unison.

He cut off communication and looked at Alan and Rain.

"Thank God we don't have to milk the cows and gather the eggs," Rain muttered to him.

"Well, I figured since no one knew how to do it, it would be a humongous time waster while we tried to do it and I'm sure they want these chores done as soon as possible," he said softly.

They turned their heads when Amelia and Opal walked up to them. They smiled at the Doctor and Alan and then turned their gaze to Rain. The Doctor watched warily while they walked over and took her hands.

"You have pretty color skin," Opal said to her.

She smiled.

"Thank you," she said in her cockney accent, relieved that they didn't say something nasty to her.

"Ya'll an Indian?" Amelia said.

"Yes, I am."

"You ever kill anyone?" Opal asked.

"No, I've never killed anyone. Not all Indians kill people," she said.

They stared at her for a moment and then tugged on her hands.

"C'mere, we wanna show you somethin'" Amelia said.

The Doctor and Alan turned and followed when they led her up the stairs.

They stepped onto the second floor and the sisters led Rain over to another door. They opened it and Rain saw more stairs.

"This is our attic," Amelia said to Rain. "We like to go up here and explore. C'mere and see it."

They led her up the stairs while the brothers followed behind them. They reached the top of the stairs and Rain saw an enormous dusty room that had boxes and suitcases, wardrobes, old toys and paintings scattered around it. There was a little light coming from the gap in a shuttered window. Opal hurried over, opened the window and threw opened the shutters flooding the dusty room with light. Both sisters ran over to a suitcase while the other three looked around it.

"Wow, this has a lot in it," Rain said while they slowly walked around it.

They stopped at a painted portrait of a man in his late 50's who was wearing late 1700's clothes and was sitting at a chair with a severe look on his face.

"Jolly looking man," Alan said, dryly. "I'd keep his portrait up here too since I'm sure he instantly kill the mood of any room he was placed in. "

"I have a feeling the real bloke was just as dour," the Doctor replied.

"Hey!"

They looked over when Amelia walked up to Rain.

"What's your name?"

"Rain."

"Rain, that's pretty."

"Thank you."

"Look, Rain. Look at this," she said while Opal came up behind her carrying a hat.

They handed it to her and she examined it. It was made out of purple silk and arranged like an Indian's turban. She glanced at Alan and the Doctor and put it on. The brothers glanced at each other and began to snicker.

"Shut up!" she said when they laughed harder.

She took it off and plopped it down on Alan's head.

"Oh yes, that is definitely you," the Doctor said to him.

He arranged it on his head and walked across the room to a dusty full length mirror. He stared at his reflection for a moment and then walked back.

"I agree, it goes with my eyes," he said as they laughed.

Opal brought Rain another hat and Alan gave her the turban back. It was a long white bonnet that resembled the bonnets Amish women wore. She put it on and tied it around her chin while the brothers watched, amused.

"No, I don't think that's you, Latara," the Doctor said.

She took it off and took another bonnet from Amelia. This one was brown silk with navy blue silk lining. She put it on and tied it. The Doctor glanced at his brother and they nodded.

"Much better," the Doctor said.

"I agree. Silk looks good on her," Alan said.

"I like this one. The silk feels nice. Too bad I can't keep it."

She took it off and Opal handed her another one.

"Apparently, you're the hat model for this afternoon," Alan said.

She looked at the one they gave her. It was a black horsehair hat that had a wide brim that came over her face and down in the back and white flowers and long white ostrich feathers adorning the top. Both brothers let out a low whistle when she put it on.

"Now that looks gorgeous on you," the Doctor said.

"Yes, we have definitely found you a look," Alan replied

She walked to the mirror and admired herself for a moment.

"All you need is one of those huge Gone with the Wind gowns to match it and you'd be the belle of the ball," Alan said.

She walked back and handed the hat back to Opal.

"These are very pretty," she said to her.

"We like to play dress up with them," Opal said.

"I bet," Rain replied.

Amelia reached into another suitcase and dragged out a large white ball gown and brought it to her.

"Yeah, like this," Alan said, pointing to it.

Rain grunted when she took it and felt how heavy it was. She looked at the brothers.

_God,_ she thought to them. _How did women ever survive wearing this stuff in the Deep South? I would think they'd pass out by the middle of the day. They mocked Indians and called them savages but at least Indians knew to wear clothes that didn't weigh ten tons and made you sweat to death in the heat._

_And don't forget they had to wear corsets and petticoats and hoop skirts as well, _the Doctor thought back.

_Well, thank God we didn't wear ball gowns like this in the twenty and twenty first centuries. No wonder everyone needed smelling salts at this point in time._

She held it up by the sleeves and looked at it. It was white silk with lace and bows all over it.

_It's gorgeous but I would never get into it,_ she thought to them. _Feel how heavy it is, Bro._

She passed it to him.

_God, you're right. You'd have to have a lot of stamina to be able to stand upright in this thing all day. Yeah, I feel sorry for women who had to wear this. There's something to be said for trousers and t-shirts._

_Got that right, _Rain thought_._

She handed the dress back to Amelia.

"Look at this," Opal said, walking up with a musket.

The Doctor took it from her and examined it.

_Calvary carbine musket, _he though to them. _I'd say French model, circa 1760's perhaps? They also used them in the American Revolution as well. Probably why they have it._

He examined the bayonet.

_It's in very good condition, _he thought._ I bet if we nicked this and took it to Sotheby in 2009, we'd make quite a bit of money. _

He put the bayonet back in its place and handed it back to Amelia.

"Very interesting," he said to her.

"We have this too," Opal said, handing him a pistol.

_Double barrel flintlock,_ he thought to them. _Also in good condition._

_What are you guys doing? _Rose thought back.

They giggled.

_Yeah,_ Donna thought. _What's with all the talk of ball gowns and muskets? Where are you lot?_

_We're up in the attic with Amelia and Opal looking at their stuff,_ Alan thought back.

_OH!_ Rose thought. _We're sitting here by the riverbank and suddenly we hear you going on about heavy dresses and fainting and then the Doctor or Alan started talking 'bout muskets and flintlocks. _

_It's the Doctor, Starlight; he was examining the guns and telling us what they were._

_And you're planning to nick the stuff and take it to Sotheby? _Rose thought.

They giggled.

_No, that was just me making a joke,_ the Doctor thought to them.

He handed the pistol back to Opal and Rain gasped when Amelia handed her a china doll.

_Oh, you guys gotta see this china doll Amelia just handed me. It's beautiful,_ she thought to them.

_What's it look like?_ Awinita thought.

_It's got a long black dress on and it has this porcelain head with a white face and little rose colored cheeks and wavy black hair. _

_Guys, we need to get back there and see this attic for ourselves, _Awinita thought.

"Amelia! Opal! Ya'll up here?" they heard Joseph call up.

Opal ran to the stairs.

"Yeah, Pa, we're up here with Rain and Doctor and Alan. We're explorin'."

"I keep telling y'all not to go up there. You get dirty and there's nothin' up there you need to be poking through. Get down here this instant!"

Rain looked at the brothers.

_Oops,_ she thought to the others. _We weren't supposed to be up here in the first place. Amelia and Opal just got caught._

_Damn, that attic sounded interesting, _Mingxia thought._ Ah well, I think we're gonna head back anyway. _

_Yeah, us too, _Awinita thought._ We'll meet you guys at the house._

The three of them followed the girls back down the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose, Jenny and Mingxia walked back towards the house. On the way there, they noticed a large wooden wagon parked by the side of the barn. The wagon was filled with hay. They reached it just as Donna and Awinita reached the barn. They all went up to the side of the wagon and stared at the hay.

"Hey, maybe we can ask Joseph to hitch up a horse and give us a hay ride," Awinita said.

"Hay ride?" Jenny said, frowning.

"Yeah, we all climb in the back and sit in the straw while Joseph drives us around."

Jenny picked up some straw.

"Be a bit…itchy, won't it?" she asked her.

"Yes, but it's fun being pulled around by a horse. We did it sometimes for Halloween when I was a kid. Guy would pile us all in the back and we'd sit in the straw while he'd take us through the spooky woods after dark," Awinita said.

"Hmm, that does sound fun," Jenny said. "I'd like to go on a hay ride too."

"Somehow I doubt Joseph will do that for us," Rose said. "I don't think he's too happy about us being here which is why we're in the barn. And if I were you, Jen, I'd get used to the itchy hay since that's what's gonna be up in the loft."

"Maybe Joseph will give us some blankets to sit on?" Donna said, hopefully.

"If he doesn't, we could always go back to the TARDIS once he goes to bed and get some," Rose said. "I don't fancy sitting directly on the hay either and having it poke my bum all night."

"But Dad said we're gonna do some investigating, right?"

"Yeah, but if I were the Doctor, I wouldn't do too much investigating at one time since that might look suspicious," Rose said. "If Joseph has muskets and pistols in the attic, then I'm sure he has more that he does use and I don't feel like getting shot and regenerating."

Donna glanced at the house.

"Well, we might as well go inside and meet up with the others," she said.

"Yeah, let's get out of the sun for awhile," Mingxia replied.

They nodded and walked towards the house.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

After meeting up with the Doctor, Alan and Rain, they decided to go ahead and go to the TARDIS to get the blankets so they wouldn't have to worry about going after dark.

"They only way we'll have any light after dark is by lantern light," the Doctor said. "And I'm not risking an open flame near all that straw."

So they left the house and walked the half mile to the TARDIS. Once inside, the dogs ran up to them wagging their tails furiously and gave all of them excited kisses.

"There you are," the Doctor said, picking up Rory who was licking every inch of his face. "Did you shite all over the floors while we were gone, eh?"

Rain picked up blizzard and they headed into the back. They grabbed several blankets that they had used for their picnics. Donna and Rain took the dogs to the park room and walked with them for a few minutes while they relieved themselves. In the meantime, the others grabbed a small plastic bag and loaded it up with snacks and cokes. Rose hid the bag in the folds of her blanket and after Donna and Rain were done, they commanded the dogs to stay, patted them on the head and left the TARDIS.

They walked back to the barn and went inside. There were tiny piles of hay scattered everywhere and a musty smell assaulted their nostrils along with the slight smell of horse dung coming from the stables. They noticed a wooden ladder going up through a large hole in the ceiling.

"My guess is that's the way to the loft," the Doctor said.

"I'll go up first then. Make sure it's safe," Alan said.

They stepped aside and watched while he nimbly climbed the ladder. He got to the top and stuck his head through the hole. He paused while he looked around.

"See anything?" Awinita said.

"Straw covering the floor. Other than that, nothing," Alan said. "There is the double door they use to pitch the hay out which is nice since we can have a breeze blowing through here and possibly some moonlight tonight.

He went on up. Once he was in the loft, he looked down through the hole.

"Okay, next one," he said.

Awinita draped the blanket over her arm and took the bag from Rose. She draped it on her right wrist and slowly went up while Alan watched her from the hole. When she got close enough he took the blanket and bag from her and set them aside before he helped her through the hole. Once she was up, Rose draped her blanket over her arm and did the same thing. Alan took her blanket and helped her up and did the same thing for the others. The Doctor went up last and once he was in the loft, they took a look around. Alan walked to the loft doors, unlocked them and swung them open letting light and a breeze in. He glanced out the opening for a moment and then helped everyone lay the blankets out. The floor didn't go all the way across to the back wall. Jenny walked over to the edge and looked down at the second level. There wasn't anything on it except some stray piles of straw. The Doctor walked over and put his hand on her back while he looked with her.

"The barn's in good condition," he said to everyone. "I don't see any holes in the floors so hopefully that means the loft is the same way. I'd hate to take a step and fall through the straw down to the floor.

Jenny felt something going across her foot. She looked down and gasped when she saw a little brown mouse gnawing her shoelace. Involuntarily, she kicked her foot and they watched while the startled mouse sailed down to the second level.

"That wasn't very nice, Angel," the Doctor said with mock sternness. "You probably just gave that little mouse several small heart attacks not to mention it has a fear of flying now."

They watched while the mouse scurried away into the shadows.

"Although it doesn't look the worse for wear. But I'm sure it won't be sniffing people's shoes anymore," he added.

He looked back at his family.

"We have mice up here so just be aware of that," he said.

"Oh goody," Donna said.

"Just as long as it's mice and not rats," Awinita said.

The Doctor and Jenny walked away from the edge.

"Well…we might as well go back to the house and wait until sunset to come back here," the Doctor said. "I'm sure they're fixing supper for us anyway."

They nodded and headed towards the ladder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After helping to get the horses into the barn for the night, they all went inside for supper. After eating, they were going to stick with their original plan and go out to the loft, but Joseph invited them into the parlor for a sing-a-long. They lit several kerosene lamps and carried them in. They stood around while Patience sat down at the piano and played it and Joseph and his daughters sang loudly. They sang songs like The Bonnie Blue Flag, Dixie, Just Before the Battle, Mother, Tramp, Tramp, Tramp and other Civil War songs. The Doctor and his family remained silent, not really knowing the songs and just wanting to listen to them. Joseph finally noticed their silence and looked at them.

"Ya'll know any songs?" he asked them. "Are there any songs from England that ya'll could sing?"

They looked at each other. Suddenly, they noticed a smile spreading across Alan's face.

"Actually, there is a song you might like," Alan said, innocently.

"Oh boy, "Rose muttered, "this oughta be good."

"Would ya sing it for us?" Joseph asked.

"Sure."

Patience stood up and he walked over to the piano and sat down while his family gathered around him.

"This song was actually brought to England from Sweden," he said. "But it's very popular."

The Doctor glanced at the others and watched while he positioned his fingers over the keys. He began to play a bouncy tune and their eyes widened when he sang…

"My my, at Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender.  
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way.  
The history book on the shelf,  
Is always repeating itself."

The Doctor and the others grinned and they joined in singing with him.

"Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war.  
Waterloo, promise to love you forever more.  
Waterloo, couldn't escape if I wanted to.  
Waterloo, knowing my fate is to be with you.  
Waterloo, finally facing my Waterloo."

The Doctor glanced at Joseph's family and noticed they were enjoying the tune. He began to clap his hands to the rhythm and his family followed suit while they sang the rest of the song. When Alan was finished, Joseph and his family clapped.

_What're we gonna do for an encore now?_ Awinita thought to them. _Dancing Queen?_

"Bravo," Joseph said. "That was a lovely tune."

"Yes, we like it," Alan said, turning to look at him.

_Time Lords_, Rose thought to them, _traveling through time and space, fighting monsters and introducing ABBA to people way before they're even born._

The other members of the family fought to keep from laughing.

"Another!" Joseph said. "What else is popular in England?"

_Oh God, Bro, don't play them Get Ur Freak On, please,_ Awinita thought.

Alan sat in thought for a moment and then began to play. He sang You'll Be in My Heart while everyone else joined in. Joseph and his family listened, enraptured, and applauded when they were done.

"Another," Joseph said.

_Blimey, it's getting harder to come up with songs now,_ Alan thought to them.

He thought for a moment and then cleared his throat while he took his hands away from the piano keys.

"Um…I'm Henry the Eighth, I am. Henry the Eighth, I am, I am," he sang a cappella. "I got married to the widow next door. She's been married several times before and every one was a Henry. She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam. I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry, Henry the Eighth I am. Second verse same as the first."

He glanced up at his family and shrugged. They giggled and joined him in another verse of Henry the Eighth before stopping. The family applauded.

"Fascinatin' songs over in England," Joseph said. "That and those strange outfits ya'll are wearin'."

"Yes, well, England prides itself on being different," Alan said.

"Yes, you might say it's a swingin' country," Awinita said in her cockney accent.

"Yeah, the swingin' '60's," Rain added.

They all fought to keep from laughing. Alan got up from the piano and let Patience sit back down. They stood and listened while she played a few more songs. After that, Joseph went and got a book and all of them stood around and listened while he read The Pit and the Pendulum aloud. The Doctor smiled when he noticed how terrified the children looked while they listened, spellbound, to their father. Rain stood near her husband.

_You know,_ she thought to him_. I've never heard this story before. I know about it but the only one I ever read was The Raven and that was in high school English class. _

_I like it, _he thought back._ I like Poe. Nice chap. Nicer than you'd think given all the creepiness of his stories. _

_This pendulum device. Have you ever seen anything like that? _Rain thought.

He shook his head.

_No, I don't think it really existed, Latara. I think it was more a propaganda tool of the inquisition. If you think about it, physics-wise, the whole concept wouldn't work. The pendulum would have to keep swinging without losing any momentum on the way down from the ceiling and once it hit the victim's body, the solidness of the body would cause the blade to slow down and stop. Even if it did cut the surface, it'd have to get through the ribcage if it was positioned over the heart and that would definitely stop it. Without some kind of modern motor keeping it going there's no way it could go through the entire body and slice it in two. So I don't think it's real. I think it's just something someone came up with to strike fear into people's hearts._

_And you've seen a lot of torture devices, _Alan thought.

_Yes, I have. But not that and you would think that would be one of the top ten torture devices people would have used if it were real. Makes for good horror fiction though. That's why Poe is still read even in modern times. He was a master at terrifying people. Which is evidenced by the children's reactions._

They all looked at them and smiled when they saw their wide eyes.

_That's it, give the kids nightmares before their bedtime, _Rose thought.

Rain was taken aback when both of them moved to her side and took her hands. The Doctor smiled.

_See, at least they aren't prejudiced against ya, Latara. Hopefully, they'll stay that way since slavery's about to come to an end._

_I wouldn't be too sure about that, Love. The Indian wars still go on until the 1890's. _

_Yes, but seeing you and Awinita and knowing you two aren't a threat might help convince them that not all Indians are evil savages. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of exposure to make a difference. Same with Mingxia. Maybe they'll grow up having a different view of Chinese now after knowing her._

_I hope so, Thete. They're too precious to grow up being racist._

Joseph finished reading the story and closed the book.

"Well, I'm so glad ya'll stayed to join us but I'm afraid it's well past our bedtimes," Joseph said to them.

"That's fine. Thank you for inviting us to stay and listen," the Doctor said as his family nodded. "All of you have a good night now."

"Ya'll have a good night too," Joseph said. "We'll see ya'll at dawn."

Amelia and Opal threw their arms up to Rain. Rain hesitated a moment and then hugged them both.

"Good night," she said to them.

"Good night, Rain," they said in unison.

Her family smiled when the two girls broke away and headed out of the room. The Doctor and Alan took their wives hands and they headed towards the front door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They walked across the moonlit sky to the barn. Rain glanced up and smiled.

"Oh my God, the stars are beautiful. You can see them clearly without all the pollution and electric lights," she said.

They stopped and paused to look up with her.

"You don't get views like this in modern day London, that's for sure," Rose said softly.

"Well, the Industrial Revolution only kicked into full swing about thirty years ago," the Doctor said. "Not enough time for pollution to obscure the stars from view."

"That's a shame because you can see a lot more stars without all the haze," Rain said.

He put his arm around her and they stared at them for a couple more minutes before all of them headed into the barn. The horses stirred when they opened the front doors.

"Just us, Arthur and Arthur Junior, nothing to be scared of," the Doctor said.

"Oh Geez," Rose said as he sniggered. "You and your Arthur fixation."

Alan went up the ladder first. With the moonlight coming through the front doors and the loft doors it was easy to see going up but he still wanted to be up there to make sure the girls made it up safely. Once he was up and looking down, the others headed up with the Doctor bringing up the rear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They lay on the blankets waiting awhile until they were sure the family was asleep. Rain lay by her husband's side staring up at the barn's ceiling. She could feel everyone was at peace and content which was good. She frowned when she felt Jack. Because of the distance between him and modern day Cardiff, his mind was distant. After a moment, she brought it forward in an effort to contact him.

_Jack,_ she thought_. Are you there?_

There was a pause.

_Rain? Is that you?_ Jack finally thought_. Where are you? You sound like you're a million miles away._

_Um, well we kinda are. We're in Georgia on July 13, 1863._

_Georgia in 1863? What are you doing there?_

_Well, the TARDIS brought us here, _she thought back.

_What? Why?_

_I don't know. We're still trying to figure that out._

_Is the Doctor there?_

_Yes, I'm here, Jack, _he thought.

_Your TARDIS took you to Georgia in 1863? _Jack thought to him.

_Yeah, she has a habit of doing that sometimes, _he thought back.

_Are you alright? Is everyone alright? _

_Yeah, we're fine. Everyone's fine. We're just lying here in the hay loft of this family's farm staring at the ceiling. Apparently, my wife was bored and decided to talk to you._

_Well, now that you're here. I have a question._

_Yes? _

_Well, at the moment, the team and I are trying to defeat this nest of vampires we found in this old abandoned building in downtown Cardiff. Have you fought vampires before?_

_Yes, I have._

_When? _

_In my fourth and fifth lives._

_Oh. Well, what is the best way to defeat them? _

_Um, sunlight or concentrated UV rays or stakes through their hearts. Anything else is rubbish._

_Yeah, we figured that part out. Martha tried throwing holy water on one and got bit._

The Doctor rose up slightly.

_Bit? Is she alright? _He thought.

_Yeah, she's fine. He took a little bit of blood before we got to her but that was it. She's not a vampire or anything. _

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief while he lay his head back down.

_Anyway, that's what we've been concentrating on for the moment. But, I promise we will be there for Alan's birthday party. I want to see your dogs and so does Martha. In fact, she was whining about you not having dogs when she traveled with ya._

Rain giggled when the Doctor rolled his eyes.

_Well, I'm sorry we didn't have dogs when she was on board. The only reason we took them in was because someone had injured them and we didn't think anyone else would want them._

_Yeah, I and everyone else were pissed off when we heard that. It's a good thing we don't know who did that to them because we'd like to get our hands on them. Who's coming though?_

_You lot, Sarah Jane and the kids, Jackie's family and Wilf. _

_Brilliant. Well, we'll be looking forward to it when you get back from 1863. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for, _he thought.

_Yeah, we're gonna go out later and look around and see if we can find anything. We're just resting right now._

_Well, we just got in and everyone's leaving for the night. Me and Yan are the only ones left. _

_I didn't bother you, did I?_ Rain thought.

_Nah, you're alright. I go to bed really late, you're fine, Rain. In fact, I'm glad you called. Most of the time I can barely feel you. I guess it's because you are going all over time and space but you feel like you're far away and I end up tuning you out most of the time. If it wasn't quiet like it is now I might have missed you calling me. I'm glad I didn't since I still worry about all of you. Nice to know you're all still in one piece. _

Rain heard someone opening a can of Coke and she rolled onto her stomach and saw Alan taking a sip.

"Throw me a Mountain Dew, will ya, Bro?"

He smiled, rifled through the bag and tossed her one.

"Thanks," she said, sitting up.

She sipped it while the Doctor and Jack continued to talk. She looked over and giggled when Donna suddenly picked up a mouse by its tail and flung it over towards the edge of the loft.

"I'm glad we don't have to sleep since I'm sure Squeaky would have loved making a nest in my hair," she said to them.

"Well, look at this way, Donna. At least there're no bats in here," Rose said.

"Oh God, don't even mention that," Donna replied.

They heard an owl hooting somewhere inside the barn.

"Got an owl though," Awinita said, grabbing a Coke out of the bag.

"Then it needs to get over here and get the mice," Donna said to her.

_Oh God, now they're all moaning about the mice in the loft_, the Doctor thought to Jack.

"Oi, I don't want mice crawling all over me, alright?" Donna said as they giggled. "You may not care about it, but I do."

_I keep telling ya, Doc, travel with men, _Jack thought._ Women are nothin' but trouble._

_Now you listen here, Captain Jack!_ Donna thought to him while they laughed_. I wouldn't talk if I were you since I've heard quite a few stories about your behavior from the Doctor._

_What stories?_ Jack thought to the Doctor. _What have you been telling them?_

The Doctor made a static noise in his mind.

_Oh no, we seem to be getting some interference, _he said as the others laughed. _I think a solar flare somehow curved around the Earth to Georgia and is making communication difficult now. I couldn't hear what you just said, Jack._

_Oh, ha ha,_ Jack replied as they laughed harder. _I guess I should go then if you're gonna be that way. _

_Well, in all seriousness, we really should get going and check out the place since I'm sure the family is asleep by now, _the Doctor thought back.

_Well, you guys please be careful. If the TARDIS brought you there, it can't be good, _Jack thought.

_We'll be careful and you lot be careful with the vampires and keep us updated._

_Yeah, you too. Let me know what you find, if anything. I'll tell Ianto and everyone else you said hi and Alan…_

_Yes? _Alan thought.

_I'll see you when you get back and happy birthday in the meantime._

_Thanks muchly, Jack. And I'm echoing my Brother's wish for you to be careful and keep Martha away from any vampires in future, at least don't let her get around one without a good sturdy stake._

_Will do. Like I said, keep me posted and I'll do the same in return. I'll talk to all of you later._

_Bye, Jack, _they all thought before they cut off communication.

Once they were done, the Doctor looked at the others.

"Right, let's go down and see what we can find, shall we?" he said.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

After they wrapped the snack bag up tightly in one of the blankets, they came down from the loft and decided to split up. The Doctor and Alan decided to go into the house, Donna, Awinita and Mingxia decided to search the barn and Rain, Rose and Jenny volunteered to search the grounds.

"Just be careful going near the chicken coop," the Doctor said to them. "We don't want them waking up and disturbing Joseph."

They nodded. The three women went back towards the back of the barn while the others stepped outside. Rain and Rose kissed their husbands and squeezed their hands. Jenny hugged her dad and uncle and then all of them walked away.

The two brothers walked up to the house. The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and was about to use it on the door when Alan suddenly held up his hand. He tried the door and found it was unlocked already.

_I don't think they worry about burglaries here like they do in the twenty first century,_ he thought to him.

The Doctor nodded. He slowly opened the door while Alan took out his screwdriver. He peeked around but didn't see any signs of anyone.

_Good thing they go to bed when the sun sets,_ he thought to Alan.

They quietly tiptoed inside and slowly shut the door, leaving it slightly ajar for a quick exit out. The Doctor held his screwdriver up, turned it on and checked for any readings. He cursed silently in his mind when there were none.

_Follow me,_ he thought to Alan.

Alan nodded and followed him up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose, Rain and Jenny walked across the moonlit fields glancing around at their surroundings. They had taken a wide berth around the hen house and were glancing around at the rocks and trees.

_How do we know what to look for if we don't even know why we're here?_ Rain thought to them.

Rose shrugged.

_I s'pose the Doctor's hoping whatever it is will find us,_ she thought back. _At least it's a nice warm night, no snow or anything._

They passed by a large oak tree. Suddenly Rain stopped and stared at it.

_What is it, Sis?_ Rose thought.

_Don't know, this tree gives me the creeps. It's spooky and it gives me bad vibes,_ she thought back.

They walked up to it and stared at it. Rose rapped her knuckles against the trunk and shrugged.

_Feels like a normal tree to me,_ she thought.

She tried her sonic screwdriver and their eyes widened when they got a very faint reading. They looked at each other and started searching around the tree.

_Love, we got something, a reading,_ Rain thought to the Doctor.

_Where? _

_Out by this old oak tree in the yard._

The Doctor looked at Alan. They were on the second floor about to head up into the attic.

_What d'ya think? Should we check it out?_ Alan thought.

_You go on ahead. I'll check the attic, you can help them suss out what kind of signal it is. _

_Be careful._

_I will, you too._

Alan nodded and slowly headed towards the stairs while the Doctor opened the attic door and went inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alan hurried across the yard towards his wife, niece and sister who were now bent down by the roots looking for the source of the signal.

_Find anything?_ Alan thought, walking up to them

_No,_ Rain thought. _Where's the Doctor?_

_Still inside, he's searching the attic,_ he thought, bending down beside her.

_Did you find anything inside the house?_ Rose thought.

_Not so far,_ Alan thought back_. Let's see what ya got though._

He held up his screwdriver and stared at its faint blue light. He frowned and shook his head.

_Signal's faint. Very faint. Hard to tell what it might be,_ he thought to them.

_But there's definitely something here?_ Rain thought.

_Yes, or around this immediate area_, Alan thought back. _Bollocks, if only we knew what we were searching for._

_Yes, that's was our thought,_ Rose thought.

Alan looked towards the barn.

_Te'lesu, have you guys found anything?_ He thought to Donna, Awinita and Mingxia.

_Not yet,_ Donna thought back. _Just a lot of dust and dirt and straw._

_We have a signal out here by this oak tree but it's so faint it's not really registering what it is,_ Alan thought. _I guess all we can do is look around but to be honest, without some kind of clue I'm not sure if we'll get far tonight. We might have to question Joseph about the history of this place._

_I agree, _Awinita thought_. I mean, without an idea of what we're looking for we're gonna spend hours just going in circles. If there's something significant about that tree, maybe Joseph would know something. I say we just wait till the morning and ask him._

_Brother, did you get that? _Alan thought.

_Yes, and I'm inclined to agree. I don't see anything out of place up here and the family might be the best source of information. I also think we should wait and just casually ask about the tree and if they know anything about the history of this place. I'm coming down and out now._

Alan looked at the others.

_Come on, guys, let's go back to the loft and wait till morning,_ he thought to them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the night they sat up snacking on their food and discussing theories on what might have made the signal. The Doctor theorized that some alien tech might be hidden around or near the tree.

Rain took a sip of her Mountain Dew.

"If that's true, would Joseph know about it, you think?" she asked him.

"Not sure. He seems human enough but that doesn't mean anything," he said.

He took a crisp from a small bag beside her and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"Could be a spaceship of some kind as well," he said after swallowing it.

"Do you mean it's invisible or something?" Donna asked.

"Or it's hidden under the ground. Martha and I went to this town in New England where this race called the Hervoken had their ship buried under the entire town, lying dormant. That could be a possibility here. I couldn't find anything in the attic and you lot didn't find anything in the barn which makes me think the tree is where we should be looking."

"You mean, we get a shovel and dig?" Jenny asked.

"Well, if we do that we'll have to wait till night again since I'm sure Joseph wouldn't be too pleased about us tearing up the soil without good cause. But yes, if there's something under there, we may have to dig for it. Hopefully, it's just a piece of alien tech and not a whole spaceship but you never know."

Rain finished her drink and put the empty can back in the bag. She sighed and lay down beside the Doctor. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her close her eyes.

"Napping? Am I boring you that much?" he teased.

She grinned.

"No, but this whole loft is boring," she said. "There's nothing to do so I figured I'd get a quick nap until dawn."

"Good idea," Awinita said, lying down.

Everyone murmured their agreement and lay down. The Doctor looked at Alan, shrugged and snuggled down beside Rain while he did the same with Rose.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor and Alan woke them at the crack of dawn and after they woke up fully, they all headed down to do the chores. Joseph and his family met them out in the yard and instructed them what to do and where to get the supplies. They nodded and split up to help out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There ya go, little chickens, have some nice feed," the Doctor said while he and Rain stood and flung corn kernels into the fenced in area. They paused and watched them walk around and peck at the ground. Alan and Awinita had gotten the horses out of the stable and back in the paddock and went to clean the feces out of the horse's stalls. While the Doctor and Rain continued to feed the chickens, Rain glanced over and noticed Joseph walking out towards the paddock with the milking stool and pail.

"Love, he said he was willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to milk cows, right?"

"Yup."

She turned and kissed his cheek.

"I think I found a way to ask him about the tree," she said.

He grinned.

"You brilliant thing you. Go to it then."

"I will, have fun feeding the chickens, Thete."

He watched her proudly while she ran off to talk to Joseph.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joseph looked up while he sat beside a cow and saw Rain walking towards him.

"Hi. Um…my husband said you'd be willing to teach anyone to milk a cow if they wanted to learn?" she said in her cockney accent. "I'd like to learn."

"Oh, well sit here then," he said, getting up.

Rain sat down on the stool. She listened to his instructions.

"Just reach up and grab the udder with your thumb and index finger and squeeze downwards into the pail."

He demonstrated on another udder and Rain imitated him. She smiled when a bit of milk squirted into the tin pail.

"Very good, just keep on doing that and watch out in case she tries to kick ya," Joseph said.

Rain took another udder in her free hand and milked the cow while Joseph watched with a smile on his face.

_Hey, I'm doing it!_ She thought to her husband. _I can milk a cow! _

_Great! Now we gotta nick one so you can give us fresh milk every morning,_ he teased_. Find out anything yet? _

_Nope, just getting ready to talk to him now._

She smiled at Joseph.

"You know, this farm is beautiful," she said to him.

"Thank you, we're proud of it," he replied.

"Have you always lived here?" Rain said as casually as she could.

"Nope, belonged to another family before us. They moved out about ten years ago."

"Really? Why?" Rain asked.

"Said there were strange things. Haints. Kept seeing spooks all over the place."

"Really? Where?" Rain said, glancing at the udders to make sure she was still getting the milk in the pail.

"All 'round. Mainly in the house though. Said there was someone haunting it."

"What about that tree out there?" Rain asked, pointing to the oak.

He frowned.

"Why are you askin' 'bout that tree?"

"I've sensed something creepy about it when I passed by it."

He smiled.

"Might have been the hangin' man you were sensin'."

"The hanging man?"

"Yeah, supposedly a fellar was lovesick after his sweetheart left him for another and hung himself there. S'posed to be haunting it now. Dunno if that's true though. I ain't felt nothin' there or in the house and neither has my family."

Rain quickly relayed that to her family.

_I doubt if a ghost was setting off the screwdriver,_ the Doctor thought back. _There's gotta be something more to it than that. _

_I'm on it, _Rain thought.

She looked at Joseph.

"Is there anything else interesting about the farm?" she asked.

"Not that I know of, why?"

"Just curious. I mean, growing up in England I missed my native country."

"Where d'ya live originally?"

She nearly said Arizona before she caught herself.

"Um, North Carolina," she said. "My father lived with the Cherokees there."

"How'd your father get mixed up with Indians?"

Rain took a moment to fight back the anger before answering.

"He was a trapper and he got to know the local Cherokee. They helped him and he fell in love with my mother," she said.

Joseph nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing ya went to England and got all civilized then," he said.

Again, Rain had to calm herself before plastering a smile on her face and nodding.

"What about you? Where did you live before you came here?" she asked.

"Lived down near Savannah with my first wife. After she died, I met Patience and moved up here."

"Where is here exactly?"

He stared at her.

"Ya'll don't know where ya are?" he said in disbelief.

"Well, we've been traveling a lot of miles and it was hard to keep track of where we've been," Rain said, hoping that would satisfy him.

He nodded.

"Ya'll 'bout ten miles outside Gainesville," he said.

"Thank you. We wanted to stop in Atlanta and look around," she said.

"Nothin' much in Atlanta, least I don't think so. City folk don't impress me much," he said. "I wouldn't like livin' in London, too big for my likin'."

"I love it. My husband was born and bred in London. He wouldn't live anywhere else," she said.

"Well, it's the same for me. I'm a Georgia boy and I love the Georgia soil. Wouldn't think of livin' anywhere else. 'Specially not in another country."

He smiled when he took the pail and glanced into it.

"That's fine, but let me take over. You go and do somethin' else, alright?"

She nodded and stood up.

"Thank you for teaching me," she said.

"Ya'll are welcome. Glad to teach ya how to do it."

For a moment, Rain thought he was gonna make another ignorant Indian savage comment but to her relief, he sat down, positioned the pail and took over. She quickly hurried away to find the Doctor and let him know what he had said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After they got done with the chores, the Doctor and Alan decided to go back to the tree and see if they could find what triggered the screwdriver. They asked Rain to keep up her conversation with Joseph to try to find out more about the place. Rose volunteered to go with her while the others agreed to search the grounds to see if they could find anything else that would set off the screwdrivers. Rose and Rain hurried inside while the Doctor and Alan headed towards the tree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Rose and Rain talked with Joseph in the kitchen, Patience went upstairs to take a nap. Amelia and Opal waited until their mother was asleep and snuck up into the attic for another few hours of exploration. They shut the door behind them and went up quietly so no one would know they were there. Once they were upstairs, Amelia opened the window and threw open the shutters so they could explore. They went through the hats and dresses giggling while they played dress-up with them. Opal opened one trunk and noticed it was filled with more clothes. She took them all out so they could examine them and then she noticed something at the bottom of the trunk. She reached down and picked up a fob watch. It was silver with weird circular designs on the front of it.

"Lookie," Opal said, taking it to Amelia. "Pa might like this. It's a pretty watch."

Amelia looked at the design and traced a finger around one of the circles.

"Yeah, Pa always said he needed a new watch after his old one stopped workin'. Let's take it to him and see if he wants it."

They ran out of the attic towards the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Rose and Rain sat with Joseph sipping hot tea while they talked with him. They were trying to find out more about the house but without much luck. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, they made small talk, occasionally asking a question about the house. They learned a lot about the family in the short time they had been chatting and they also volunteered some information about themselves, albeit most of it was made up on the spot.

Joseph took a sip of tea.

"I want to thank ya'll for helpin' us out today," he said to them. "We do appreciate it, especially since my wife is ailing. She had the flu and she's still tryin' to get over it. That's why she went upstairs to rest. She does what she can and she keeps up with the chores but still, it's taxing on her at the moment. Woman's work is never done, ya know."

They nodded.

"I hope she gets to feeling better," Rain said.

He nodded.

"I'm thankful she's gettin' well. Family 'bout ten miles up the road lost a child last winter from cholera. So, it could be much worse."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rose said.

"Yeah, they took the loss pretty hard. It was their first child. They're a young couple and just startin' out. Girl was only two years old when she died. Still, they aren't the only ones who've had loss. Lots of folks around here and all over Georgia lost sons and husbands in the war. We've been lucky here. I'm too old to enlist and we have no boys as of yet so we haven't had to deal with it but we know a couple of families that have sons fighting the Yankees and one of them had a boy killed at Manassas two years ago, right after the war started. Damn Yankees shot him right through the brain. Senseless waste of life if ya ask me."

Rose and Rain nodded, not really sure what to say. They smiled when Amelia and Opal entered the room.

"Pa, look what we found!" Amelia said, showing him the fob watch.

Joseph took it and studied it.

"Where'd ya find this?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

Amelia shifted her foot.

"In the drawer of that big desk in the hall, Pa."

"No, ya didn't, ya'll were up in that attic again after I done told ya and told ya not to go up there!" he said angrily. "I oughta take a switch to both ya backsides."

"But look, we found ya a watch, Pa," Amelia said quickly. "Ya wanted one, didn't ya?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point. I keep on tellin' ya not to go up there and ya don't listen. I'm tired of telling ya both…"

_Open me._

Joseph paused when he suddenly heard a voice coming out of nowhere. Rose and Rain heard it too and looked at each other.

_What was that?_ Rain thought to her.

Rose shrugged.

"Anyway," Joseph said, "like I was sayin', ya'll need to start listenin'…"  
_  
Open me, he is here._

The three of them heard the voice again. Joseph looked down at the watch and stared at it with an odd look on his face.

"Pa?" Amelia said. "What's wrong?"

_Open me, he is here. _

Joseph hesitated a moment and then clicked open the watch. All of them watched, stunned, while a golden light streamed out and enveloped his face.

"Pa?" Amelia said, "what is that?"

Rose and Rain glanced at each other, confused.

"Joseph?" Rose said.

Joseph ignored all of them. He stared into the light, transfixed. Rain and Rose stared at him. Then it suddenly hit Rose. She looked at her sister.

_Fob watch,_ she though to her. _Remember when the Doctor thought Jackson's personality was in the fob watch and that light…it looks like the light that bursts out of the Doctor when he's…regeneratin'_

They stared at each other when they suddenly felt the presence of a foreign consciousness in their minds.

"Oh God," Rain muttered.

She quickly reached out to her husband's mind.

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The Doctor and Alan paused while they were looking around the tree. Suddenly, they felt someone else's consciousness inside their minds.

"What the hell?" Alan muttered to his brother. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeah. Another mind just awakened and…"

_Thete? Thete, are you there?_

The Doctor held up a finger.

_Yes, I'm here, Rain._

_Um…we have a problem. Um, Joseph's daughters just gave him this silver fob watch and he opened it and gold light is streaming onto his face._

Both brothers stared at each other with wide eyes. The Doctor paused a moment and examined the new mind. His eyes bulged out of his head when he suddenly recognized who it was.

"No, it can't be," he murmured.

He glanced at Alan and noticed from his shocked look that he had figured it out too.

"Not him, it can't be him," the Doctor said to him.

Alan quickly concentrated on his sister's minds.

_Guys, get out of there now!_ He thought to them.

_Why? What's wrong?_ Rain thought back.

_It's Dex, Rain. Remember what we told you about him? Get out of there; get the girls out of there now!_

Rain gasped.

"Rose, come with me," she said, getting up.

"What's going on?"

"No time to explain!"

They glanced over and saw that Dex had absorbed all of the light and was blinking in confusion. His girls were standing beside him looking up at him, completely perplexed.

"Pa?" Opal said, "you alright?"

Rain and Rose ran around the table.

"Hey guys, come with us. We wanna show you somethin'" Rain said to them.

The girls looked at her and looked at Dex who was shaking his head. He looked at the women and slowly his face melted into a scowl.

"Who are you?" he said with a British accent. "You're both human so why can I sense your minds as if you were Time Ladies?"

Rose and Rain glanced at each other and picked up the girls in their arms. They ran out the doorway, carrying them while they protested loudly.

"Where is he?" Dex roared behind them. "Where is Father?"

The front door banged open and the Doctor and Alan ran inside.

"Come back here! I demand to know where Father is!" Dex bellowed.

The Doctor glared at the kitchen doorway. He looked at Rain and Rose.

"Get them to safety. Don't worry about us. I'll handle my son."

"Patience is upstairs taking a nap," Rose said.

"I'll get her. Just go before he hurts you!" Alan said.

"Hurts us?" Rose said.

"I'll explain, Sis. Just follow me."

They ran past the brothers. Alan shut the door behind them.

"Get Patience and get her to go with you before he hurts her. I'll stall him," the Doctor said.

Alan nodded and ran up the stairs while the Doctor quickly walked towards the kitchen.

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The other women ran up to Rose and Rain while they ran towards the barn.

"What's going on?" Donna said.

_It's the Doctor's son. There was this fob watch they found and he opened it and he must have been human and he's turned back into a Time Lord_, Rain thought. _I'll tell you what Doctor and Alan told me but we have to hide because he hates humans with a passion and he hates the Doctor._

They looked at each other.

_We can take them up into the loft_, Awinita thought. _There's only one way up so we can defend the girls better that way._

_There's a pitchfork in the barn. We can use that to defend ourselves and them,_ Mingxia thought.

"What's goin' on?" Amelia asked, struggling in Rose's arms.

"Honey, we're…playing a game," Rose said. "We're pretending your Pa's a big scary monster and we're hiding from him."

Amelia stopped struggling.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we had to get you away from him before he ate you up," Rain said, trying to keep calm.

Amelia smiled.

"Oh, okay," she said.

"And we gotta hide up in the hay loft so the big scary monster can't find us," Awinita said to her.

The girls giggled.

"Okay, we'll all hide from Pa," Opal said.

They let them go and took their hands while they led them to the barn.

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The Doctor swallowed hard and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen. Dex was standing by the table staring at him.

"Dex," the Doctor said, putting his hands in his pockets.

The Doctor felt Dex reaching out to his mind. His hearts sank when he saw his anger.

"Father," he spat out.

"Dex, listen to me. Please just hear me out before you get angry, alright?"

"I should have known I couldn't hide from you forever."

"Dex, please," the Doctor begged. "Please, for once in your lives, just listen to me."

"Why should I? You're just going to lie again, like always!"

"I've never lied to you, Dex. I've always been honest with you. It's your mother who twisted the truth."

"My mother told me the truth! You abandoned us! You abandoned us for those filthy humans!"

"No! I didn't abandon you. I couldn't stay with her, Dex," the Doctor said angrily. "I know you loved your mother but there was no way we could make the marriage work!"

"So you abandoned us!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Do you understand, son, that I was unhappy? We made a mistake when we got married, alright? We weren't right for each other."

"So I was a mistake as well?"

"No, you weren't a mistake. You were wanted by both of us. You were the only good thing to come out of the whole marriage. I love you, Dex. I've always loved you but I wasn't about to stay with an angry wife and go through a rocky marriage so you could have us both together."

"So you went and stayed with the filthy humans and loved them instead!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Son, I know you don't understand…"

"No, I don't. I don't see your attraction to these apes. They're all dumber than a box of rocks!"

"Then why did you become one then?" the Doctor shot back.

He smirked.

"Because I knew if I became human it would be the perfect disguise. If you know how much I hate humans then you wouldn't think to look for me among them."

"How did you escape? No one was permitted to leave the planet."

"I had my ways. My friends and I did what you did and "borrowed "a TARDIS. We bribed a few greedy guards, got inside and took off."

"Friends? There's more?"

"Oh yes, Father. Seven of us, me, four men and two women. We all used the chameleon arch and I dropped them off at locations throughout time and space before coming here."

"Where are they?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because, Dex, they deserve to be Time Lords and Ladies. They shouldn't have to hide."

"Why? You've hid most of your life. Isn't that what all this wandering and coming to Earth was all about? Hiding from your family and your responsibilities?"

"No!"

_Um…Brother, I have a teensy problem,_ Alan thought to him.

_What kind of problem?_

_Um…I woke Patience up and tried to get her to come with me and she's not keen on it. In fact, she's threatening to bust my skull in with a vase._

_Get outta there then before you get hurt._

_I was planning on it, believe me, just letting you know before I came back down._

"Who is that man? Why does he look like you?" Dex demanded.

"He's my brother."

"Brother? Since when do you have a brother? And how come I get all these other minds in my head besides him and you? Those two filthy humans, why can I feel them?"

He noticed the Doctor's anger at that.

"What's wrong? Am I insulting the human you married?" he sneered. "I shoulda known you'd cave in and marry one of them sooner or later."

The Doctor heard someone running down the stairs and looked over to see Alan leap over the banister and head towards him. He watched while Patience ran down the stairs holding a white vase with flowers painted on it. Alan ran up beside him.

"See, I pissed off Patience," he said.

He looked at Dex and regarded him coolly. Dex stared at him in confusion.

"I repeat, since when did you have a brother?" he said to the Doctor.

"It's a long story, Dex," the Doctor said, keeping his eyes on Patience who was running towards them with the vase raised.

Dex looked at Alan.

"How?" he asked him. "He never had a brother and from the way you look, I'm guessing you're a twin brother which he couldn't have had since twins were never loomed. So who are you?"

"I'm his clone," Alan said.

He glanced over while the Doctor tried to calm Patience down and get her to leave. He looked at Dex.

"Clone? You're a clone?"

"Yes, I am. And your father accepted me as his brother."

Dex's eyes widened.

"My father accepted a clone as his brother? Oh Lord, now I've heard everything."

"Let me see him. Let me see my husband!" Patience yelled at the Doctor.

"Patience, that's not a good idea. He's not your husband anymore, trust me!"

"Oh for Pete's sake, let me by before I smash your skull in!" she yelled at him.

The Doctor dodged the vase when she swung at him and she pushed him aside as she went into the kitchen. He stepped up behind her keeping an eye on her.

"Joseph, I want you to get these lunatics out of my house and off my farm this instant!" she said to him.

"Get away from me," Dex said, glaring at her.

"But Joseph…"

"MY NAME'S NOT JOSEPH, IT'S DEX. NOW GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, YOU SCATTERBRAINED APE BEFORE I USE THAT VASE ON YOU!"

The Doctor and Alan sucked in their breath when Patience reeled back in shock.

"Honey," Patience said.

"Don't honey me, you filthy ape. Get your worthless carcass out of my sight!"

"Honey, what's wrong with you. I…"

Without warning, Joseph decked her hard in the face. Alan ran forward to catch her as the vase rolled out of the room.

"You didn't have to do that!" the Doctor screamed at him.

"She wouldn't get her filthy ape face out of mine!" Dex shot back.

Alan quickly gathered the unconscious Patience in her arms and took her to safety in the hay loft. Dex noticed the fury in the Doctor's eyes and smirked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Father," he said mockingly. "I didn't mean to hurt the stupid chimp. But then again, maybe I knocked some sense into her just then."

"So that's it, is it? Your family, your own children. You hate them all now?"

"Bang on, Dad."

"Then how are you any better than me since you're accusing me of the same thing?" the Doctor spat out.

"Because, unlike you, I'm getting rid of a bunch of filthy mongrels that I had no business being around in the first place!"

"You must have had feelings for them. You must have had feelings for your wife if you had two children with her," the Doctor countered.

"Well, that's the downside to the chameleon arch. It makes you stupid when you become a human."

"Then why did you do it?"

An evil grin spread over his face.

"Ah, well, I did it to bring you more torment," he said.

"What'd ya mean?"

"Well, I figured after you obliterated our planet, our wonderful beautiful home, you'd end up by yourself. So to make sure you completely felt the loss of what you did, I and my friends made ourselves human so you couldn't feel us and be comforted by our minds. It's what you deserve after turning our home world into a fireball."

The Doctor was stunned. He shook his head sadly.

"I can't believe what you've become, my son."

"I'm not your son! You gave up the right to call me that when you abandoned me!"

"No! I never abandoned you. I tried to see you but Sharina wouldn't let me! She told you all these lies about me and turned you against me because she was angry."

"She had every right to be! You went and left her for a bunch of semi-intelligent apes and like I said, you finally lost your mind and married one. Unless the little ape is lying to me because I can feel her and your other family members in my mind as well. So how did that happen? Where did these other Time Ladies come from?"

"They were human except for Jenny who was a half human/half Time Lady, but…"

"But you changed them. You changed them and perverted what it means to be Gallifreyan by passing them off as true Time Ladies, is that it?"

"No, I didn't change them. I had nothing to do with the change!"

"Oh, so they just magically changed one day?"

"No, a…fox spirit changed them."

"What? What the hell does that mean?"

"It's…a long story, Dex, and I really don't feel like going into it right now. The point is I had nothing to do with their conversion. It was their decision and a spirit helped them to change."

"Ah, so you wouldn't be lonely anymore? What's wrong, you couldn't find more of your kind so you had to change a bunch of mongrels into some?"

"Don't you dare call them that again!" the Doctor growled. "You don't know them, Dex."

"Thank God for small favors."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew them. They are the most loving, caring people I have ever known, Dex, and they would love you if you gave them half a chance."

Dex snorted.

"I don't wanna love them, Father. I don't wanna love them or Patience or my ape daughters. I want nothing to do with any of them and I certainly don't want anything to do with you or your freakish little clone brother."

Alan appeared in the doorway.

"And speaking of, here's the little freak show attraction now. Did you hide my wife so I can't find her? My suggestion is to put her and my kids in the stream and let them float away, that's a good hiding place for them."

"ENOUGH!"

Both Alan and Dex flinched when the Doctor roared at him. Dex saw the unbridled fury on his face.

"What are you gonna do, Father? Kill me like the others on Gallifrey?"

"No, I'm taking you somewhere where you can be helped, Son. You're mentally ill!"

"P'eh, look who's talking. You gonna get a room next to me then?"

"I'm through with this. It does no good to talk to you, Son. You won't listen. I won't leave you here like this though. So you're coming with us so you can get the help you've needed for far too long."

Both he and Alan began to advance on him.

"I'm warning you both, back away!"

"Dex, listen to reason!" Alan said.

"Don't talk to me, you freak! You have even less of a right to live than my father or those apes."

"I swear, if you don't shut up…" the Doctor snarled.

"You'll what? Kill me? That's what you do to your own kind, isn't it? That's what you did to everyone on Gallifrey! You're a murdering bastard! You murdered them, you murdered mum and now you're gonna murder me! Well, two can play at this game."

Suddenly, Dex lunged forward and hit Alan as hard as he could in the face. The Doctor gasped when Alan slammed back into the wall and slumped to the floor, dazed. He ran out the door and the Doctor gave chase but he didn't realize that Dex had picked up the vase Patience had dropped and before he could act, Dex smacked him in the face with it sending him crashing to the floor in a heap. While Alan struggled to get to his feet, Dex ran into the parlor, grabbed two of the kerosene lamps and a box of matches from a desk drawer. He lit the wicks and grabbed the lamps in both hands. As he left the parlor, he snorted at Alan who was now on his knees trying to revive his brother.

"I'll make you pay for what you've done, Father. I swear I will," he yelled, running to the back door.

Alan jerked his head around and saw him running away. Cursing under his breath, he got to his feet and fought the dizziness while he took off after him.

Dex sprinted out the back door and rounded the house. He smirked when he remembered hearing one of the apes in his mind talking about hiding in the hay loft. Then he saw Amelia looking out the hay loft door at him.

"Pa!" she called to him.

He smirked when she looked behind her and yelled out that he was coming.

"Perfect," he muttered.

He glanced back when Alan rounded the corner after him.

"Dex, stop!" he yelled.

He snorted and went faster, making a bee line for the barn. The glass chimneys fell off the lamps and rolled back behind him but he paid no attention while he sprinted inside the barn. He took one of the lamps and hurled it at the second level of the barn where it shattered and exploded in flame. He backed away and lobbed the other one at the straw just below the ladder. It fell into it and ignited the straw. Dex ran back out and noticed Alan was a few feet away staring at him in shock.

"Tell Father when he comes to that since he decided to burn all our people, now he can watch his loved ones burn the same way."

Alan screamed in fury and lunged at him but he jerked his head back when Dex tried to knock him out with a punch. He heard his family screaming and felt their terror in their minds while the fires began to spread. Dex ran off laughing while Alan looked all around, trying to find something, anything that could save his family and Dex's family from burning to death. All of them were at the loft door now trying to take air into their lungs.

"Bro!" Awinita screamed at him. "On the side of the barn there's a wagon with hay in it!"

Alan ran around the side. At the same time he felt the Doctor finally coming to.

_Brother, help me! Dex set the barn on fire and everyone's in the loft!_ He frantically thought.

He felt his panic in his mind along with the terror of his family and working off sheer adrenaline, he quickly picked up the front of the wagon and grunted while he tried to pull it around the barn. He heard the front door slam and his family members calling to the Doctor. He ran around the side and saw him running as fast as he could towards them, his face drained of all color.

"There's a wagon over here with hay in it!" Alan screamed at him.

The Doctor glanced up.

"Are you all up there?" he screamed.

"Yes!" Donna said. "Amelia, Opal and Patience as well!"

"No, no, no!" the Doctor said, pushing himself to run as fast as he could run.

Alan led him around the corner and both of them grabbed the crossbeam at the front of the wagon.

"Pull, Brother!" the Doctor yelled. "Pull with all you've got!"

Both of them mustered every ounce of strength in their bodies and slowly pulled the wagon around to the front of the barn while their family members tried to keep Amelia and Opal calm.

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Meanwhile, Dex had sprinted over to the old oak tree. He got down on his hands and knees and frantically dug under the roots on the right side of it. He glanced at the barn and cursed when he saw the Doctor and Alan pulling the wagon around to the front of the barn.

"Oh no you don't, Father. You're not getting to them before me," he said.

He felt underneath the roots and pulled out a small silver box. He opened it up, pulled out a key and stood up. He went around to the front and stuck the key in a hole in the bark. He turned the key and grinned when he opened the door of his TARDIS and went inside.

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Both of them finally got the wagon underneath the hay loft. By the time they got it around the front, the fire was raging out of control on both the first and second levels. They looked up at their family and pointed to the straw.

"JUMP!" they screamed.

The family looked at each other and pulled Amelia and Opal to the front.

"Jump!" Awinita told Amelia, pointing to the straw.

"I'm scared."

"Just jump, Honey!" Rain said. "You have to. Doctor and Alan are down there! Don't be afraid."

Amelia looked at the Doctor and Alan who were calling to her to jump. Amelia squeezed Rain's hand, took a deep breath and jumped down into the pile of hay.

"Come on, Sweetheart," Alan said. "Come to me, hurry!"

Amelia made her way to the front of the wagon. Alan grabbed her and helped her out.

"Go, Opal!" Donna said.

"I'm scared," Opal whimpered, clinging to Rain's shirt.

"Honey, you have to go. We need to get out of here. We're coming. Just do what your sister did," Rain said, gently.

Opal nodded. She stood at the edge of the loft watching while the Doctor and Alan called for her to jump. Then she took a deep breath and screamed in terror while she sailed through the air. She landed in the hay, lost her balance and rolled forward. Alan reached out and stopped her forward motion. He grabbed her and helped her out. The family grabbed Patience who was just waking up and coughing loudly. They told her what was happening and urged her to jump. They helped steady her at the opening and Patience looked at the Doctor and Alan before she jumped. She gasped when her feet hit the straw and she fell forward on her hands and knees. The Doctor and Alan urged her to get up and she slowly made her way to the front where Alan helped her out. Meanwhile, the rest of the family lined up behind one another ready to jump one at a time. Rose stood at the opening.

"Jump, Starlight!" Alan yelled.

She took a deep breath and jumped out. She landed on the straw on her back, rolled over and went to the front. Alan helped her out and gave her a quick hug, thankful she was alright. By now the smoke had obscured everything inside and the women used their respiratory bypass systems to keep from breathing it in. Donna went next. She jumped out and landed on her back the same way Rose had. They helped her out and then Mingxia went next. Jenny went after her. She jumped and only Awinita and Rain were left. Rain stood behind her sister waiting for her to go. Suddenly, both of them heard a familiar wheezing sound and jerked their heads around. The brothers heard it and their hearts stopped when they realized what Dex must be doing.

"JUMP, JUMP!" everyone screamed.

"Go Awinita!" Rain said.

Awinita started to jump when she suddenly noticed Dex running through the smoke towards Rain.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not losing all of you!" he snarled.

Awinita grabbed the pitchfork beside the opening and tried to defend her sister while he made a grab for her. She thrust it at him but he stepped aside and tried to knock her out and make a grab for her along with Rain.

"Sis, go! Get out of here!" Rain said, lunging at Dex to keep him away from her sister.

Dex grabbed a hold of her and pulled her back through the smoke while Awinita tried to go after him. Just then, Dex's foot thrust out through the thick smoke and caught her in the chin, knocking her to the ground.

"Awinita, Go!" Rain screamed.

Dimly, Awinita could see him opening the TARDIS door through the thick smoke and she got up trying to get to her sister but the door closed and she heard the sound of the TARDIS wheezing away and knew it was too late. Knowing there was nothing she could do, she ran back to the opening. When she got to the opening, her eyes widened when she suddenly felt Rain's mind cut out in her own and she knew the others had felt it too when she saw the anguished looks on their faces. She quickly jumped out and Alan pulled her out. They all ran to the safety of the house while the flames continued to consume the barn.

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Inside the TARDIS, Dex smirked at Rain who was sitting on the floor near his console, unconscious.

"I didn't get everyone like I wanted to, but I got you, didn't I? And you're the one who is the most important to Father which is what I wanted. I want to make him suffer and I will make him suffer by taking you away from him forever just like he took my mum away from me."

He pushed a button on his console and the chameleon arch slowly lowered from the ceiling. He pulled the fob watch out of his pocket and grinned at her.

"Enjoy your nice little kip, Rain. When you wake up, you're gonna have a whole new identity and a brand new purpose in life."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Once they got everyone back in the house, the Doctor used his stethoscope to check Patience and her daughter's lungs. While he did that, Jenny and Awinita managed to flag down a passing carriage and got the driver's assurance that he would go get others to help fight the fire. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's some slight smoke inhalation but nothing major," he said to Alan. "They'll be alright."

He stood up and looked at them. His son's wife and his granddaughters. He was terrified about his wife. He still couldn't feel her in his mind and it filled him with anguish wondering what his insane son was doing to her but he just couldn't leave them alone here without help. They were a part of his family even if Dex had turned his back on them.

"I don't understand," Patience said when she calmed down. "Why did Joseph do this?"

The Doctor glanced at his brother and took her hands.

"I know it'll be hard for you to understand but he's not Joseph anymore. His name is Dex and he's my son, so I'm your father in law and Amelia and Opal are my granddaughters. My son is mentally ill and he's gone over the edge and tried to murder all of you. He's not in his right mind and I'm gonna find him and get him some help but I need to make sure you're alright before I go. Awinita said they managed to stop a carriage and the man that was driving it is bringing help to fight the fire and I'm gonna leave her and Jenny and Mingxia and Donna here for the moment while Alan and Rose and I go look for Dex and Rain."

_Bro, there's some carriages coming,_ Awinita thought to them.

"I'm going to go now but I'll be back and we'll get this whole thing sorted out."

He stood up and Patience grabbed his hand.

"Wait, I don't understand. How can you be related to us? Joseph has a father. I've seen pictures of him before and he looked nothing like you."

The Doctor glanced at Alan.

"What did he look like?" he said.

"He had white hair and was a little plump and he walked with a cane, I guess, since one was in the photo."

_Don't think that's you, Brother. You were plump in your sixth life but you didn't have white hair_, Alan thought.

"I don't know where he got the photo from but I'm his true father," the Doctor said to her. "Whatever he's told you, most of it has probably been a lie."

There was a knock on the front door and Alan went to open it. He came back to the kitchen a minute later followed by a couple of elderly men.

"Are ya'll alright, Ma'am?" one of them said.

"Yes, my children and I are fine now."

"Well, Hank got stopped when he was comin' by here and he went to get me. I'm Ben and this is Josiah. There's several more outside helping to put the fire out and take care of the livestock and we know more are comin'."

"Thank you."

Ben looked at the Doctor.

"Are you her husband?"

"No, I'm her father in law. My son did this and ran off. My brother and sister and I are going to look for him but if you'd look after Patience and my granddaughters until we get back, I'd appreciate it."

"We'll look after her. Ya'll go do what ya need to do," Ben said.

He nodded and looked at Alan.

"Let's go get Rose and get goin'," he said to him.

They started to leave when the Doctor felt someone tugging on his sleeve. He turned and saw Opal looking up at him.

"Papaw?" she said.

He smiled and bent down.

"Yes?"

"Will Pa be alright?" she asked while Amelia came up beside her.

"Yes, he'll be fine, I promise you."

"If you're our papaw, is Rain our mamaw?" Amelia asked.

He smiled.

"Yes, she's your mamaw," he said.

His hearts leapt when he saw the delighted looks on their faces. He embraced his granddaughters.

"I'll be back soon with mamaw. You look after your mother while I'm gone, okay?"

They nodded and gave him one more hug before they stepped back. The Doctor stood up and Alan smiled at him when he left the kitchen with him.

"There you go again, Brother. More family members. We have to get the family photo updated again," Alan said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Alan, you don't think she's dead, do you?"

Alan glanced at him and saw the distraught look on his face.

"No, Brother, I don't think she is. I refuse to think that until I see concrete proof so don't think it as well," he said firmly.

The Doctor opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Rose walked over and took the Doctor's hand in hers.

"Are you alright?" she said, concerned.

"As alright as I'm gonna be for now, Rose," he said to her.

She gave his hand a squeeze and he squeezed it in return.

"I'm ready when you are," she said to them.

He nodded.

"Then let's get going," the Doctor replied.

Alan took Rose's hand and they ran off the porch and into the field towards the TARDIS.

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They entered the TARDIS and shut the door. Blizzard and Rory ran up to greet them but the Doctor gave them both a cursory scratch on the head before heading to his console. Both Alan and Rose picked up the dogs while the Doctor started up the TARDIS and scanned for traces of artron energy.

"Come on girl, help me find Rain," he muttered while he stared at the monitor. "Please, please, please say he doesn't have a damper of some kind on his TARDIS."

His eyes widened in delight when he picked up a reading. Alan and Rose set the dogs down while he entered the coordinates in the computer. They helped him fly it while they entered the vortex.

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Dex breathed a sigh of relief while he let his TARDIS rest. He had just gotten done taking Rain to her brand new life and now he was taking a short break on Brefrox Major so he could decide where to go next. He knew one thing, he had to use the chameleon arch on himself and make himself human again. As disgusting as that sounded, he knew his father wouldn't stop until he found him and he couldn't let that happen. However, he knew the next time would be different. The next time he would specifically program himself to desire a bachelor's life so he wouldn't be saddled with ape wives and offspring he didn't want.

He fingered Rain's sonic screwdriver. He had found it in her pocket. He figured his father had made it for her. He snorted.

"Made her one but never made me anything like this," he muttered. "Typical. Ah well, she won't be needing it any longer."

He put it in his pocket and grinned when she pulled out the fob watch containing her memories.

"Enjoying yourself, ape?" he said to it.

_My husband will come. He will save me and then you'll be sorry,_ Rain thought defiantly.

He snorted.

"Don't count on it. I'm about to go outside for a quick pint and once I'm done, you're going in the rubbish bin."

He stuck the watch back in his pocket and sighed contentedly while he walked to the front door. He opened it, looked out and shut it behind him. He had landed on the outskirts of Leptos, the planet's capitol. His TARDIS was next to a building, disguised as a small cinderblock building and he closed the metal door behind him while he went to find a pub. He stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled, savoring the feel of his father's anguish in his mind. It took him a moment to realize that he seemed to be sensing him more clearly than he should have. In fact, it almost felt like…

"Hello, my son."

He turned and gasped when he saw the Doctor, Alan and Rose behind him. He tried to run but was quickly seized. Alan threw a chloroform soaked handkerchief over his face and the three of them crowded around him while he quickly lost consciousness. Once he was out, the Doctor gathered him into his arms and they hurried to their TARDIS parked in a nearby alley.

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Dex woke up slowly. He struggled to get up but found his body was restrained.

"Where am I?" he said groggily.

"On my TARDIS, my son."

Dex's vision slowly came into focus and saw the Doctor standing beside him. He leaned his head up, saw he was stripped to the waist and grunted while he fought to break the leather straps holding him to the table.

"What're you gonna do to me?"

"I'm gonna give you an injection of sodium pentothal and you're gonna tell me where Rain is and where your friends are as well."

"I'll never tell you!"

"Oh, I think you will, my son. Sodium pentothal is truth serum after all."

"You have no right to do this."

"No," he said, leaned his face down into his. "I have every right because you harmed my wife and kidnapped her. Believe me, my son, I could do much worse. I could have you sent to a prison planet for attempted murder and kidnapping and let you rot there for the rest of your lives but I won't do that because I know you're sick and need help. However, you are going to tell me what I want to know and since I know you won't do it voluntarily, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to resort to coercive methods. Now lie still, I promise once the serum wears off you'll be fine. I hope to God for your sake we'll be able to say that about my wife."

He saw him look over and nod and Dex looked over at Alan who was entering the room with Rose. He saw the syringe in Alan's hand.

"No, you stay away from me!" he screamed at Alan.

"I'm sorry, Dex, but you brought this on yourself," Alan said dispassionately.

He looked over when he felt the Doctor wrap a rubber tourniquet around his arm.

"No Father, please!" he screamed at him.

"I'm sorry, Dex. I love you with all my hearts but I love others besides you and one of them is the woman you kidnapped. You won't suffer, I promise. You'll be completely relaxed," he said as he finished tying the tourniquet.

He found the vein in his arm and took the syringe from Alan. He injected it into his vein ignoring the screams and curses from his son. While he did that, Alan began to search his pockets. He pulled out Rain's screwdriver and showed it to the Doctor.

"I have a feeling this is Te'lesu's screwdriver," he said to him.

The Doctor sighed angrily and took it from him. He put it in his own pocket. He took the tourniquet off while Alan searched again. He paused with his hand in his pocket and his face went white.

"Alan?" Rose said as they looked at him. "Love, what is it?"

He pulled the fob watch out.

"She's in here. I heard her talking," Alan said.

The Doctor's hearts nearly fell to the floor as he took it from him. He held it in his hand.

_My love, here I am,_ Rain thought to him. _I love you so much._

"Oh God, my Latara," he murmured while Alan put his hand on his shoulder.

He looked at Dex and noticed he was staring up at him with glazed eyes. He held up the watch.

"Where is she? What have you done with her?" he demanded.

"She's in the year 1505 in Santo Domingo. June 18th, 1505. She's a slave on a sugar cane plantation there."

The Doctor reeled back as if he'd been punched in the gut. Both Alan and Rose steadied him. The Doctor swallowed back the tears thinking of his poor wife enslaved while she had been programmed to think that had been her life all along.

"Where on the island?" he forced himself to say. "What part?"

"Santa Clara, big plantation just east of it, about fifteen miles," he said softly.

"I gotta go now. I can ask him about the others later. All that matters right now to me is Rain," he said.

They ran from the room and hurried back to the console. The Doctor pocketed the watch, punched in the information and they flew the TARDIS into the vortex.

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The Doctor froze.

They had landed several feet away from a large sugar cane field on a sprawling plantation. There were hundreds of Native American slaves bending over cutting the stalks with mindless looks on their faces. The three of them glanced at their faces trying to make out Rain's face from among the hundreds of workers. They didn't see her right away so they hurried into the field walking along, stopping the slaves and glancing at their faces. The Doctor was nearly moved to tears seeing the hopeless looks on their faces and the cuts on their hands from the machetes they had to use to cut the tough stalks down. Some of them had whip marks crisscrossing their backs and the majority of them looked ill and exhausted. They kept on searching hoping that the Spanish owners of the plantation wouldn't see them roaming around the fields disturbing the workers.

_Brother, I found her!_

The Doctor and Rose jerked their heads around and saw Alan several rows away kneeling beside a half naked woman. His hearts slammed against his chest when he saw the distraught look on Alan's face and his throat went dry when he could see fresh whip marks on her back. Alan was trying to soothe her while she recoiled from him in fear. The Doctor and Rose ran up to her and knelt down beside her. His hearts nearly broke in two when he saw her terrified expression. The only time he had seen her fear him like that was when he had first revealed himself to her back in the hotel room in Tokyo. He reached into his pocket for the watch while he and Alan tried to hold her arms. Rose tried to calm her but her eyes kept darting from one to the other in wordless fear.

The Doctor got in close to her.

"My love, it's alright. I'm here now and now there's no need to be afraid," he said, opening the watch.

He held it up to her face and instantly she became still while she stared mesmerized into the golden light. Alan and Rose glanced around hoping that no one was watching them while the Doctor gave Rain back her memories and her life. They noticed there were several Spaniards in the distance giving orders but all of them had their back to them. The Doctor smiled when he felt Rain's mind returning to his and he stroked it tenderly while he poured love into it. The light vanished and Rain blinked in surprise while she looked around at her surroundings. She looked at the Doctor.

"Love, where am I ?" she said to him.

The Doctor could barely contain his joy. He embraced her carefully, avoiding the whip marks on her back. Rain returned the embrace and looked at Alan and Rose who had tears streaming down their cheeks. She looked around at the other slaves. The ones closest to them were staring at her in shock but the others didn't even notice them. She looked at her husband who was staring at her with complete love.

"What year is this? Where am I?" she said.

"I'll explain when we get back inside the TARDIS. For now, I need to get your back mended and get you somewhere where no one can hurt you. Come on, before someone…"

"Hey!"

They spun around and noticed a Spanish man walking through the fields towards them aiming a musket at their heads. The slaves around them cowered in fear. The Doctor muttered to Rain to stay down and he, Rose and Alan stood up to face him.

"I said, what are you doing here?" the man said, slowing his pace but still coming towards them.

"Well, the funny thing is, you enslaved our family member by mistake so we're just here to take her away from all this," Alan growled.

"She belongs to me," he snarled, pointing at Rain.

"No, actually, she's with my brother since he married her. You don't have the right to own her or anyone else," Alan snapped.

He snorted.

"I can enslave whoever I like and that includes you. You'll join them for trying to steal my slave and possibly inciting a rebellion. Now, all of you will follow me quietly and you'll obey if you wish to live."

He pointed to the several Spaniards in the distance who were running towards them with pistols and whips.

"My overseers there will show you what to do and by God, you will do it or suffer the consequences. I don't know who you are but from here on out, you will all be my slaves."

"Wrong answer!"

The man turned his head just as Rain lunged up behind him and held a machete to his neck.

"Drop the gun or lose your head. It's your choice," she said.

The man hesitated and dropped the gun. Alan quickly picked it up. Rain glanced around at the Indians who were watching with interest.

"Good. Now tell your men to stop before your windpipe gets sliced!" she said to him.

"STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" he yelled to his overseers. "THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Rain smiled when the men stopped in their tracks.

"Thank you," she said sweetly while her family snickered.

She looked around at the other slaves.

"My brothers and sisters. You are free! They have no power over you! Go back to your homes and families! You are many and they are few! Don't let them scare you! Take back the freedom that is yours!"

The man's eyes bulged when the Indians began to trill and shout. They rose up and waved their machetes around and grabbed the terrified overseers by their arms.

"Wow, this is quickly getting out of control, mate. If I were you, I'd get in there and stop it before you and your overseers get stabbed by hundreds of machetes, all at once," the Doctor said.

Rain turned with him so he was facing the enraged Indians nearby. The man saw that more and more Indians were leaping up and joining the rebellion.

"STOP!" he screamed. "I'LL SET YOU ALL FREE! JUST SPARE OUR LIVES!"

He gulped when he noticed that didn't pacify them. Rain passed the man and the machete to the Doctor and held up her hands.

"WAIT! HEAR ME PLEASE!" she said quickly, waving her arms around.

The Indians closest to her calmed down and called for silence from the others which was repeated quickly down through the rows. Alan glanced at his brother and Rose.

"Wow, she's good," he said.

Rain smiled when she noticed that everyone was quiet and listening.

"IS THERE A CHIEF HERE OR A HEAD MAN FOR YOUR PEOPLE? SOMEONE TO SPEAK FOR YOU?" she yelled.

A man nearest to her began to yell for someone named Mananuk and it was echoed down through the rows until finally they noticed a middle aged man walking towards them. He walked up to Rain.

"I am the leader of the majority of these people," he said to her. "Some were taken from the surrounding land and some were brought here by boat from other islands by these pale faces."

"You and your people are free now. I think our Spanish friend has finally seen the light," Rain said, glancing back at him. "However, I want everyone to walk away from here and not kill them. Let him and his overseers live. If you kill them you'll be no better than they are. Go back to your villages and your families and try to piece together your shattered lives instead of taking revenge and spilling even more blood."

Mananuk pointed his machete at the terrified man's face.

"What if he won't leave us alone?" he said to him.

Rain turned to him while her family members fought to keep from laughing.

"I think you know now not to bother my brothers and sisters, RIGHT?"

The three of them grinned when the man nodded his head vigorously.

"Good. Because if I were you, I'd find a way back to Spain with your overseers and stay there for the rest of your lives. Because believe me, if you try to enslave these people again, I'm willing to bet you're gonna have hundreds of angry natives slicing and dicing you until you're all a bunch of tiny chunks. Got that?"

"Yes."

She looked over at the terrified overseers who were still being held captive by the Indians.

"Tell them not to harm them. Tie them up if you must in order to get away but no killing."

Assisted by a few others, Mananuk yelled out her words to the others and they were passed down the rows. Once they received assurance that the men would be spared, Mananuk turned back to Rain.

"Who are you, child? You are wise beyond your years."

"I'm Rain and…I'm just a traveler that happened to be caught and taken here. I'm a different tribe than you are, but that doesn't matter, we are all the same deep down."

"That we are," Mananuk said, smiling.

"Having said that. Please adopt any who have come from off island into your village. I have a feeling you'll need all the help you can get to rebuild it and your lives."

"We will, little one. May the spirit in the sky smile upon you."

"And you."

Mananuk took the Spaniard from the Doctor and a couple of Indian men assisted him while they led him and the overseers to the plantation.

"Rain, the Indian Abraham Lincoln," Alan said.

They giggled when Rain shrugged.

"You didn't think I'd leave and have the rest of them still be in bondage, did you?" she said.

They followed the former slaves to the house and watched closely while they tied the man and his overseers up tightly with rope. Once they were bound, the Indians went through the house and the grounds taking anything that seemed valuable. The Doctor and his family allowed them to do it while they kept a watch on the captives, making sure they were unharmed. Eventually, the Indians left and made their way back to their villages. Once they were cleared from the house, the Doctor bent down to the man and took out his sonic screwdriver.

"I'm gonna loosen the ropes so you can get free eventually but take my advice, get your asses back to Spain as fast as you can and never come back, you understand me?"

They nodded and the Doctor held his screwdriver against the rope burning it enough that the man would be able to get free with a little work. He stood back up and reached into his other pocket.

"I believe this is yours, Latara," he said, handing her screwdriver to her.

"Yes, it is. Only…where's my wedding ring?" she said, holding up her hand.

"Probably still in Dex's pocket. At least it better be. We found the fob watch and learned where you were at and came here immediately," he said. "We still need to ask him a few more questions."

"But where am I? I was knocked out and I remember waking up here."

He put his arm around her.

"I'll explain but let's get you back to the med bay so we can heal these whip marks on your back, alright?"

"Yes, because they hurt like hell."

He smiled and both Alan and Rose hugged her. Alan took her hand and they walked out of the house while the man struggled to get free behind them.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: It's official. Matt Smith will be the Eleventh Doctor. He's been in The Ruby in the Smoke with Billie and was also acted with her in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and The Shadow in the North. He's 26 which makes him the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor. David will always be my favorite but I'm interested to see how he handles the role.

Chapter Eleven

Once they got back to the TARDIS, the Doctor led Rain back to the med bay. Alan and Rose took the TARDIS back to Brefrox Major to pick up Dex's TARDIS.

"Not only are we collecting family members, we're collecting TARDISes as well," Alan said to Rose.

They landed beside it. Alan walked outside and used his sonic screwdriver to make sure the cinderblock building was really Dex's TARDIS. Satisfied it was, he headed back inside and closed the door.

"I think it'll be alright for the moment. Dex has the key but while we're back there let's ask him about the missing Time Lords and Ladies so that'll be out of the way."

He shook his head.

"I guess we needed to look inside the tree instead of around it, Starlight. It was probably in hibernation and that's why it barely registered on the sonic. I'm just glad you and everyone else is alright after all this."

Rose smiled and kissed his cheek. He took his hand and led her back to the lab.

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"How's that feel?" the Doctor asked his wife.

"Tons better," she replied, sighing.

She was lying on her stomach on a bed in the corner while the Doctor shined a portable healing light onto her wounds. He knelt down beside her.

"Well, they're going away which is good."

"I'm so glad you found me, my Love," she said.

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad I did find you and this is all that happened to you. I know some of those slave masters weren't above raping the female slaves. Not to mention dropping dead from exhaustion from the heat and the hard work. I'm proud of you though. I'm proud of you for quelling the rebellion and taking charge like that. Like I said before, a few months ago you were a shy, timid girl and now you're freeing hundreds of slaves. Becoming a Time Lady was the best thing that ever happened to ya."

"No, meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."

He smiled and kissed her lips.

"Love, what'll happen to your son?" she asked.

He sighed.

"I'm gonna have to put him in an institution for awhile, Latara. I don't know if he'll ever be cured but he needs to be somewhere where he can have a chance to be healed. I just hope he does get cured eventually because I'd hate to think of him being like this for the rest of his lives. I've known too many insane Time Lords and Ladies in my lives and I don't want my own offspring to join the ranks."

Rain took his hand, kissed it and put it next to her face. She smiled when Rose walked into the room and knelt down beside them. She held up her wedding ring.

"I believe this belongs to you, Sis," she said.

"Oh thank God, he didn't pitch it," she said, taking it from her and putting it on her finger.

Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Alan gave him another dose of sodium pentothal and Dex is tellin' him where the others are at while he's writin' it down."

"Good."

"Others?"

"There are six more Time Lords and Ladies out there who are human. I want to find them if I can and restore them so they'll be themselves again."

Rain was ecstatic.

"Oh, that's wonderful. I hope they're not like Dex though," she said.

"Me too. Although I doubt it. Dex is this way because he chose to listen to Sharina. Surely not all of them are the same although I'm sure he's told them a few things about me in the past. At any rate, I want to find them and at least give them a chance to come out of hiding."

_Brother, I have it. I have the names and locations of the others._

The Doctor smiled.

_Brilliant, now while he's still groggy, help me transfer him to a holding cell so we can get back to the rest of the family,_ he though back.

He gave Rain a kiss on the lips before he got up and headed out of the room.

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After landing over Dex's TARDIS and getting it into another storage room. They headed back to Georgia in 1863. By the time they landed, Rain's back was healed and they sat her up and dressed her in a yellow top and blue jeans before heading back to the farmhouse.

The other family members let out cries of joy and ran towards her. Rain ran to them and embraced them while they hugged and kissed her. Donna looked at the Doctor.

"Where's Dex?" she asked.

"He's in a holding cell on my TARDIS. He'll stay there until I can take him to a mental institution for help."

"Aw, Bro," Awinita said, hugging him. "I'm sorry you have to take him there."

They murmured their agreement and came around them. He smiled.

"I know, but he'll get the help he needs. Help he's needed for awhile now," he said, staring at them lovingly.

"And we have the names and locations of other Time Lords and Ladies. There were six of them that also became human and hid," Alan said.

They murmured their excitement at this. The Doctor glanced over and noticed the barn had been put out although a few areas were still smoldering. Most of the men were on the porch sipping iced tea and talking while they tried to clean off their sooty faces with their handkerchiefs. The Doctor looked over when Awinita tapped his shoulder.

"Bro, we might have a bit of a problem."

"And that problem is?"

"Well, Patience was kinda dazed after being knocked out and surviving the fire but once she thought things through she suddenly realized that you're younger than Dex is which seems kinda odd to her if you're his father and…"

"Blast, which means we might have to tell them the truth about us," the Doctor said. "I was hoping just to tell her and the children that we were going back to London and visit occasionally. I'm not sure how she'll take the news that her father in law and his family are aliens. The children might accept it but there's no telling what she'll say. Have you said anything to her?"

"No, we told her we'd wait till you got back and let you explain it," Donna said.

"Thanks for that. Although I'm not sure if what I have to say would lessen the shock but still, I'd rather I told them since they're my immediate family."

"We'll come in there with you, Bro, and back you up," Awinita said.

"Thank you. Problem is, should I show them the TARDIS first or just tell them who I am and what I can do?"

"I think you should just start out with you and then work up to the TARDIS," Mingxia said while everyone nodded in agreement.

He sighed.

"Well, let's get it over with then," he said.

He took Rain's hand and the rest of the family walked with him to the farmhouse.

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The Doctor found Patience in the kitchen sipping some iced tea with Opal and Amelia. The moment they saw him and Rain they got up and ran towards them.

"Papaw, Mamaw!" Opal said throwing her arms around Rain.

Rain laughed and hugged them both. The Doctor grinned at her.

_See,_ he thought to her, _you've only known me a few months and already at 25 you're a mother and a grandmother._

Rain smiled and nodded while the others laughed softly. The Doctor smiled at Patience.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

She nodded. He took a seat across from her while Amelia and Opal sat down beside him. His family crowded around him.

"My sister told me what you had asked her. About how it was possible to be Dex's father and appear younger than he is."

She nodded.

"There is a logical explanation, Patience, although it will seem fantastical to you and possibly to the children, although I have a feeling the children will accept it better than you will."

He paused a moment and gathered his thoughts.

"Patience, I am going to be straightforward since there's no easy way to tell all of this to you. I am not from Earth and neither is Dex. Earth is not the only planet in the universe that can sustain life. There are billions of other planets with countless numbers of people and animals on them. I and Dex are originally from a planet called Gallifrey. It was destroyed in a war, a violent war between my people and another race called the Daleks. After it and my people were destroyed, I thought I was the last survivor but little by little I've become aware of others who have been scattered across time and space. I thought Dex was dead until he was…awakened after he made himself into a human being in order to hide from me."

He paused a moment in case Patience had any questions. He noticed she was still listening which was a relief to him. He glanced at his granddaughters and noticed they were enraptured with what he was saying. He took that as a sign to go on. He was thankful that they were at least hearing him out. He slowly explained things to them taking care to use terms they would be familiar with. He tried his best to explain time travel even though he knew HG Wells wouldn't publish The Time Machine until 1890 and he wasn't sure if they could grasp the concept all that well. The others joined in and helped him out until finally he finished up.

"So everyone behind me was once human except for Alan and Jenny who were a mixture of human and Time Lord but they were transformed into Time Lords like I am and as I said, that's what the fob watch did to Dex. It turned him back into a Time Lord so he isn't human anymore although outwardly he does resemble one as we all do."

"And all ya'll, ya'll are from the future?" Patience said.

He nodded.

"Yes, these outfits we're wearing aren't the latest fashions in Britain. These are what people wear during the late twenty and early twenty first centuries. My son is from the future as well. He came back in time to hide himself thinking I would never find him."

"But why?" Patience said.

"He hates me. His mother turned him against me after our marriage ended and his hatred of me apparently helped to drive him insane. He's not in his right mind now, Patience. I'm not sure if he ever will be but I want to take him to a facility that will try their very best to cure him."

"Where?"

"Well, it won't be in this time period or even on this planet since therapy techniques are crude here in any century, let alone this one. I assure you though he won't be harmed in any way and if he does get cured I will bring him back to you provided the two of you still want to be married to each other. But whether or not you stay married to him, rest assured that I will look after you and my grandchildren here. I won't let anything happen to any of you, that's a promise. Having said that, I want to ask you to come with me to find a different home because I fear for the lives of you and Amelia and Opal."

"What do ya mean?"

"About a year from now, General Sherman is going to take drastic measures to end the war and what he does is go through Georgia and devastate the land to force the confederacy to its knees. It's called his March to the Sea and he and his men are gonna cut a wide swath of devastation from Atlanta down to Savannah. They basically burn and loot everything in sight and I'm afraid you and your family might be in the path of that and I don't want you to get hurt. Now my TARDIS is nearby and I can take you and the children to, say....London where you'll be safe. I will help you get settled there and I can give you some money so you won't have to worry about starting over with nothing. If you don't want to live in the city, I can find you a place in the countryside but I just don't want you here."

"So…we lose?"Patience asked.

He nodded.

"Yes. To be frank, the Confederacy never had a chance to begin with. But even if you escape the devastation Sherman will bring, there will still be the aftermath from what will be known as Reconstruction where everyone will have to struggle to make ends meet. If you're in England or anywhere else you can escape that. It's up to you, I'm not saying you have to go, I'm just offering you a choice, Patience, because you're family and I do care what happens to you and the children."

Patience considered that.

"You will help us, Doctor?"

"I will help you start a new life and visit you to make sure you are taken care of for the rest of your lives. My family and I will make sure you'll want for nothing. I promise that."

"May I see this…TARDIS?"

He smiled and nodded.

"If you'll let me walk to it, I can bring it closer since it's about a half mile away. That way you can rest and continue to recover from all that's happened."

"There's one other thing I'd like to ask of ya."

"Yes?"

"Wherever you take my husband, I'd like to go with ya. I'd like to see him."

"That's fine, but just know that he won't be happy to see you and he may say some nasty things like he did when you tried to talk to him earlier."

She nodded.

"I understand, Doctor. But he is still my husband even if he's this Dex and I'd also like to make sure he's somewhere safe."

The Doctor smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome to come with us anywhere you and the children wish to go. We'd love to have you be a part of our family now."

"I'd like that too, Doctor."

He smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get the TARDIS and bring it here. And when I say bring it here, I mean bring it inside here. My TARDIS can fit inside rooms even though the inside is huge but you'll see what I mean when you step inside it. In the meantime, my family will keep you company."

He stood up and hurried out of the room. Patience watched him go and then looked at the family.

"He means this, doesn't he?" she said to them.

"Every word," Alan said. "I know it's a lot to take in, Patience, but he told you the absolute honest to God truth about everything."

"And ya'll are from up there too?" she said, pointing up.

"Yes, well, like he said everyone except for me and Jenny were fully human once. Jenny and I were half human/half Gallifreyan but we're all fully Gallifreyan now. But we act more human in our behavior which is why we can fit in on Earth so well."

"And you're his brother?"

"Yes, so I guess I'm your uncle in law and their granduncle and everyone else is an aunt in law except for Jenny who would be a sister in law since she's the Doctor's other daughter or I guess stepsister in law since she didn't have the same mother as Dex."

"Hello," Jenny said, waving.

Patience nodded and smiled at her.

"This is all so incredible," she said, shaking her head.

"I know it is," Alan replied. "But it is all true and once you see the TARDIS, I think that'll help to convince you of that. But he is right about Sherman coming in a year and I feel the same as him. You might be spared the initial devastation but there's a long road to recovery after the war and the whole south is affected. I'd rather you were somewhere where you didn't have to worry about it since being his brother, you are my family too and you're all a part of our family. We care about what will become of you just like we care about Dex and his sanity. Now depending where my brother lands in here, in a few minutes you'll hear this weird wheezing sound. Don't be alarmed, that's the TARDIS, just letting you know so you don't start panicking."

"Can you really fly?" Opal asked him.

"Yup, we can fly all over time and space and see all kinds of planets and we can go to any point in history that we want."

"Wow!" Opal replied. "Take us somewhere, please?"

Alan glanced at his family.

"Um, well, that's really up to your mother," he said.

"Ma, please, I wanna go somewhere and see planets and things," Opal pleaded.

"Me too, Ma," Amelia added.

"I…don't know, honey. Let's just wait and see what this TARDIS thing looks like first, alright?" she said.

They suddenly heard a wheezing.

"That's the TARDIS," Alan said.

They glanced over when the blue box materialized in the corner of the kitchen.

"And that's it. That's how it lands," Alan explained.

Patience and the children got up slowly from the table. The children ran to it while she slowly followed them. They stood there looking at it and then the door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out.

"Good, I made it inside," he said, looking around.

He smiled at Patience and the children.

"Would you like to come inside?" he asked them.

The girls nodded their heads. He smiled warmly at Patience and extended his hand to her. She took it and he opened the door wider. Amelia and Opal ran in and yelled with delight. The Doctor slowly led Patience inside while the family followed her. Amelia and Opal laughed when Blizzard and Rory came into the console room happily wagging their tails.

"Puppies!" Opal said as she and her sister ran to them.

They laughed while the dogs licked their hands. The Doctor slowly led Patience up the ramp keeping his eyes on his daughter on law in case she felt faint from all of it. Patience was looking around in wonder but so far he didn't see any signs of fainting. He glanced at his granddaughters who were staring at the console while Blizzard and Rory stood beside them.

"This is your ship?" Patience finally said to him.

"Yes. And this is only the first room. There are many, many more rooms inside here and we have everything here we could possibly need. It's sorta like a house, only much, much larger. Would you like to see more of it?"

She nodded and the Doctor kept holding her hand while he led her towards the back room.

"Would you like to see more of my ship?" he asked Amelia and Opal.

They nodded their heads and he let them get in front of them while Alan shut the front door. He slowly led them all into the back.

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He kept the tour brief showing them rooms they would be familiar with and keeping them away from rooms like the park room which he felt would be a bit too much for Patience to take in at the moment. They finished up in the kitchen and Patience stared at the modern appliances in it.

"This is how a kitchen looks in the future?" she said in wonder.

"Yes, well…most of the appliances in here are from the twenty and twenty first centuries which is what the majority of my family is familiar with. But as you can see we have everything a normal home would have which means we can fly around and not have to worry about coming back to get provisions."

Alan pulled a chair out and she sat down while Amelia and Opal looked around the interior and played with the dogs. The Doctor sat down beside her and smiled warmly.

"I haven't shown you some of the more fantastical rooms since this is a lot for you to take in at once but there are far, far many rooms than the ones you saw. But if you're gonna go with me to take Dex to the mental health facility, you would have had to have seen the inside of the TARDIS at some point which is why I gave you the little tour. I don't want you to be afraid. Nothing in here will hurt you, I promise and I and my family won't hurt you either. And as you can see we even have dogs in here which I guess Amelia and Opal love since they're over there playing with them."

"Is my husband in here somewhere?"

"Yes, he's confined in a special room so he can't hurt us but he's safe and resting comfortably. When it's time to take him to the mental health facility, he'll be put to sleep so we can transfer him safely. I'm doing everything I can to make sure he's comfortable and I'm going to pick a facility that will treat him humanely and make him comfortable. It won't be like an asylum where they'd stick him in a cage or chain him to the wall and beat and whip him. I'd never do that to him which is why I'm taking him to another planet. I don't trust the facilities here and I would never take him to one in your era. I wouldn't want my worst enemy in an asylum in the 1860's."

"May I see him?"

The Doctor glanced at his family.

"You can see him but I have to repeat my warning that he won't be warm and pleasant towards you."

She nodded.

"I understand."

He glanced at Amelia and Opal.

"Guys, can you take the children into the game room or something? I don't think they should witness their father in the state he's in."

They nodded and moved towards them. Alan bent down and smiled at them.

"Hey, wanna play some games with us?" he said.

They nodded.

"Follow us, we'll teach you how to play some really fun games in our game room."

He winked at his brother and took their hands while they led them out of the room. Once they were gone, the Doctor extended his hand to Patience. She took it, they stood up and he led her towards the holding cells.

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The Doctor had lined the bottom of the cell with a thick white comforter and gave him an identical one to keep him warm along with returning his clothes to him so when they finally reached the cell; they could see that Dex was snuggled underneath it. His eyes were open and when he saw the Doctor and Patience he glared at them.

"Come to gloat at your prisoner?" he growled at him.

"No Son, I've come to make sure you were alright and because your wife wishes to see you."

"She's no wife of mine. I don't want to be married to an ape."

"Well for the moment you are, so I'd show some respect and behave yourself if I were you."

He snorted and flung the comforter off his body and stood up.

"So what happens to me now?" he said to him.

"You're going to a mental institution where you can be treated and get the help you need."

"Why? Why not just use the chameleon arch on me and change me back to Joseph?"

"Because that's not the answer just like it wasn't the answer when you changed yourself and your friends. You are not a human…"

"Neither are you but you sure as hell act like one..."

"You are not a human," the Doctor said, talking over him. "You are a Time Lord and you deserve to be one. If you become a human and go back to Patience you will be doing the both of you a disservice since you'll be living a lie. Besides, I want you to get better so one day soon you can join us and we can have a relationship again."

"P'eh, in your dreams, Father. I will never have a relationship of any kind with you."

"So be it, but you are going to get help because I love you too much to leave you this way."

"And I agree with him," Patience said.

"Oh, who the hell cares what you think, you ape?"

"That's enough. I said you will show respect to her."

Dex rolled his eyes and looked at her.

"So you've finally learned his little secret, Patience. Are you gonna start traveling with him now like everyone else?"

Patience frowned.

"I don't think so," she said, glancing at the Doctor.

"This TARDIS is open to you. If you want to travel with us at any time you can and if you don't want to, that's fine as well. It's entirely your decision. And the same goes for Amelia and Opal."

"You just can't get enough of these apes, can you, Father?"

"I love them because in many ways I'm like them. I never fit in on Gallifrey, Son, no matter how hard I tried. I'm sorry if you think me less of a person for loving the "apes" as you put it but like I said before if you got to know them, really know them then you'd see what I'd see."

"You mean like the slaughter that's going on in 1863 between them? The mindless carnage that happened because one half of the humans in America liked owning other humans and making them work like beasts of burden and the other humans said they couldn't? Is that the noble humans you're referring to? The bunch of apes that are blowing each other's brains out on the battlefields? And you did destroy your own home world so I guess you're correct about being like them."

"I meant the ingenuity and imagination that they possess. The capacity for goodness that the majority of them have inside. The ability to survive and thrive anywhere and at any time."

"Yeah, a virus does much the same, you know."

"Well, at least they have the ability to grow and change and not remain static and stuck in their old ways and mindsets like our kind did. Our kind sat on their bums and watched the universe go by. At least I had the sense to go out and explore it."

"Yes, which is why you abandoned mum and me!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Which brings us around to the argument we had in your kitchen which I'm not going to get into again. You won't listen to me or anyone else except apparently your dear beloved mother and why you listened to her when you ignore everyone else in the universe is beyond me since she wasn't exactly a learned sage of any kind. But then again, you were angry and hurt and she told you just what you wanted to hear, didn't she, my son? You don't like your father telling you that he loves you and always has. It's easier to imagine that I hate your guts and went off into time and space to get away from you. But that is far, far from the truth, my child. I tried to see you many times like I told you before, but your mother kept you from me, most likely because she knew I could talk sense into you and turn you away from her bitterness and hatred. You became a victim in her own personal vendetta against me, which is a travesty. I tried to mend fences but she kept tearing them down because like you, she didn't want to hear that I wasn't bitter and angry at her. It takes more courage to love someone who hates you than to just hate them right back. Patience is standing here beside me doing exactly that. Loving you even though you don't love her back. She's just as concerned as I am about your wellbeing which is why she's here. And she doesn't want to get a divorce even though you tried to kill her, your children and my family. Now…what does that tell you because to me it speaks volumes."

Dex looked at her.

"I love you, my husband, even if ya are a different man now," Patience said. "I want to make our marriage work because I do care for you and Doctor is right, I want ya to get better and get the help ya need even if ya don't wanna be with me."

The Doctor's spirits lifted when he noticed that Dex was listening quietly to that without any sarcastic or hateful comeback. For the first time since Dex first told him he hated him he felt some hope that perhaps his beloved son could be cured. He put his free hand on the force field in front of the cell's opening.

"I'm going to look after your family for you, Dex. Even if you don't want to be a part of their lives, I do and I want to make sure they are provided for. But I'm begging you, my beloved Son, take this chance and listen to what the therapists have to say so you can finally let go of the bitterness and anger and become a part of this family. Both halves of the family, mine and your own. We all love you. I do, my family does, Patience and your children, everyone. We all care for you more deeply than you can ever know."

His spirits rose higher when he saw he was still listening to him, taking all of it in and considering it.

_That's it, my Son,_ he thought. _Listen to me and see the truth at last._

Dex looked at him but there was no malice or hatred in his eyes, only uncertainty and fear.

"What will you do to me?" he asked him. "Where will I go?"

"I'm taking you to a comfortable facility, my Son. They won't hurt you. It won't be like the asylum in the 1800's where you'd be confined and tortured. I will take you to the best institution I can find with the most advanced methods. There's nothing to fear but I am asking…no, begging you to take advantage of it and get better so you won't have to be in there for the rest of your lives."

"Will you come see me?"

His hearts felt like they were about to burst. He mentally asked the TARDIS to let him go through the barrier and she complied. Dex backed up when he stepped through but he held out his hand and began to speak to him in Gallifreyan so Patience couldn't understand. The TARDIS, understanding the reason why he was doing it, obliged him.

"My son," he spoke in Gallifreyan, "beloved child of my hearts. I will never abandon you. I am a part of you as you are a part of me and that will never change. Do not fear, my beloved Dex, I will always be a part of your life if you'll let me. You are wanted, my joy. You are loved in so many ways by so many people. People who wish you to heal completely so you can become a part of the love and joy and peace that exists here now. Please let go of the anger, my Son, before it destroys you utterly. Embrace the love that's all around you. I'm here and I won't let anyone hurt you, not anymore."

He opened his arms and Dex walked into them. The Doctor lowered his head to his and held him closely while he wept.

"I'm proud of you, my darling child," he spoke in Gallifreyan. "I have always been proud of you. I'm so sorry that circumstances prevented me from seeing you and letting you know that but there are no barriers between us now save the ones you erect and I'm begging you to begin to tear them down so we can finally be together and be father and son."

Dex wept harder while the Doctor kissed him tenderly on the top of his head.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Father, please forgive me," he said in Gallifreyan.

"I forgive you, my Son," he whispered in Gallifreyan.

"Help me, please help me?"

"I will. I will help you, my darling child, I promise."

He held him close and rocked gently while he sang him an old Gallifreyan lullaby. Dex clung to him while he wept and the Doctor kissed him tenderly on the top of his head while he whispered his vow to always be a part of his life.

"I need to go and start up the TARDIS now, my Son," he said in English. "So we can take you to get help, alright?"

Dex nodded. The Doctor looked at Patience who was watching them quietly with tears in her eyes.

"Would you like to come up there with me and be with me and your wife while we go?" he asked him.

Dex nodded and swallowed hard. The Doctor smiled at him and took his hand while they stepped through the barrier. Patience hesitated and glanced at the Doctor before she tentatively hugged her husband. To his relief, he didn't pull or push her away just stood there and closed his eyes while he let her do it. They stayed that way for a moment and then the Doctor took his son's hand and led him to the console room while Patience followed them.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor took his son and his wife up to the console room. He knew his TARDIS was still keeping an eye on Dex in case it was a trick but he felt certain there was no harm in letting him do this. In fact, he could sense his son's mind and how calm it was at the moment which gave him even more reason to hope. Perhaps there was a chance his son would leave the asylum and come back to them once he was cured. Once they got there, he sat them down on the jump seat and stood at the console. He rubbed the rim and smiled.

_My clever old girl,_ he thought to her. _I see now the reason why you went to 1863. You knew it was time for this anger to end, didn't you? Please I'm asking you to search your memory banks and find the best facility in the universe, someplace where my son can truly heal once and for all._

There was a moment's pause and then the rotor came to life. Patience gasped and the Doctor turned to comfort her.

"It's alright, it's the TARDIS. We're flying now," Dex said, pointing to the rotor.

The Doctor beamed at his son, happy that he had done that. He mentally contacted the others, blocking them from Dex momentarily, and told them what was happening. He felt them rejoice when he told them he had finally gotten through to him.

_How are my granddaughters behaving?_ He thought while he worked the controls.

_Splendidly, Brother, we've taught them ping pong and the two of them are beating Rose and me. It's embarrassing, but at least they're enjoying themselves. Be careful with Dex up there with you. You never know…_

_I know, I and the TARDIS are keeping an eye on him. Just keep them occupied for the moment while we get him checked in. then if Dex wishes to see them I'll bring them inside._

_Gotcha._

He dropped the block and continued to work the controls while it flew through the vortex.

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The TARDIS finally landed and the Doctor took Dex's hand.

"Come, my Son, there's nothing to fear," he said.

He took his hand and Patience's hand and they walked out the door. They noticed they were in a large walled in courtyard. There was a large white building at the back of it with about fifty floors. In the courtyard were trees and fountains and a dirt path that wound around it. There were several patients walking the path, sitting under the trees and by the fountain and talking to each other. Everyone had on what looked like plain white pajamas but the whole place had a peaceful aura to it.

"Doesn't look too bad," Dex said.

"I told the TARDIS to take us to the best institution in the universe and she apparently found it on Vega Minor which makes sense since the Vegans are known for their empathic abilities."

"This is an insane asylum?" Patience said.

"Yes, it's a mental health facility. Best in the universe and Dex will be safe here," he said, closing the TARDIS door behind them.

He took their hands and they walked to the building.

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Patience looked around the spotless white interior while they walked up to reception. The receptionist behind the desk looked human except she had pale skin, piercing dark blue eyes and snow white hair that had been plaited and put into a bun on the back of her head. She looked at them and smiled.

"Welcome to Crystal Waters Healing Facility. May I help you?"

"Yes, I would like to admit my son for treatment," the Doctor said.

The receptionist smiled at him.

"Certainly. Your full name, please?" she said to Dex.

"Dexdendaronrulalamagnus."

She wrote that down.

"Species?"

"Gallifreyan, Time Lord."

"Date of birth?"

"27th of Omegus, 6453, Rassilonian Era."

"Age?"

1,032 years old."

The Doctor glanced at Patience and saw the shocked look on her face while she was listening to her husband, but she was keeping silent. The Doctor made a mental note to explain everything more in depth to her once they got back to the TARDIS.

Finally after taking down all the information, the woman picked up a holo-phone and spoke to an orderly. A few minutes after hanging up, the young man appeared. He also had pale skin, blue eyes and white hair although his was parted in the middle and hung down to his shoulders. He smiled warmly at them.

"Follow me, please," he said to them.

They followed him to an elevator and he pushed the button. They went up to the fifth floor and they followed him to a room. He opened the metal door and ushered them inside. Dex looked around at the interior. The walls were painted white and there were two large windows on the far side giving the room ample light. There was a bed, a small nightstand, a bureau and a holo-TV across the room from the bed. There were also a couple of plants on small tables by either side of the windows that had their ivy vines snaking up the walls. They came inside further and saw two open doors. One led to the bathroom, the other to a closet.

"See, my Son," the Doctor said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be alright here."

Dex looked around at it while Patience walked to the bed. She put her hand on it and drew it back when she heard a sloshing sound. She tested it again and looked at the orderly.

"Is there water in here?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am, it's a special aquapedic mattress. It contains special gelled water that is designed to retain body heat and mold around the patient's body giving him absolute comfort and allowing him to sleep well. We believe a good night's sleep aids in the healing process."

The Doctor noticed how perplexed she was but she merely nodded and walked back to the Doctor's side.

"Um…what kind of treatments will my husband receive?" she asked the orderly.

"Well, depending on what he needs, the treatments might range from colored light therapy to aromatherapy or controlled harmonic treatments which will get his chi back in balance and get him centered again. We also have individual as well as group therapy sessions."

The Doctor noticed Patience looked even more confused.

"Will any of that hurt him?" she asked the orderly.

"No, ma'am, it's all completely painless."

"Well, I guess that's the most important thing then," she said.

Dex looked at his father.

"What about her? Are you going to be looking after her?"

"Yes, in fact, I suggested she go to England to escape the devastation after Sherman comes through in 1864."

Dex nodded.

"If I were you, I'd listen to him. He does know what he's talking about and England would be safer for you and the children."

He looked at his father.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I have my family in the TARDIS. And I know what you think about them but they are good people, my Son. They have healed me in so many ways, healed me far more than any companion has ever done. Humans aren't all monsters and I hope you realize that and will understand that more with this therapy. I'm glad you finally did have a moment of clarity and realized that you can't live the rest of your lives like this with all this bottled up anger inside you. I did that too, Dex. I kept everything in and let all the anger and rage and bitterness consume me but unlike you I saw the literal personification of my rage in the form of a man called the Valeyard. I fought him on several occasions and nearly came close to losing my life a couple of times. The last time I fought him I was kidnapped and forced to become his slave and go after Alan and the rest of the family. That's how I met Rain, so in a way I am thankful for him for that, but he caused nothing but trouble and heartache for me. He's gone now, destroyed, but the anger and darkness I had within me was enough to bring him to life and give him a corporeal body. This is my warning to you, Son, to let go before there comes a day when you turn around and see your own darkness staring you right in the face. What life are you on now?"

"My Fourth."

He nodded.

"Then let go of four lives worth of anger before it's too late. I finally learned that lesson a few months ago and started my own process of healing with the help of Rain and my family and I have to say that I have never in my 1200 years of existence felt more happiness and peace than I do now. I am finally letting go and embracing the love that my family offered to me and it feels so good. It feels good to be happy and not be afraid to feel that way because something terrible might happen to bring it all to an end. In many ways, we are the same, my Son. You've done the exact same thing I did. You kept your anger inside instead of letting it out. Now I'm asking you to follow in my footsteps and do what I did and let the anger go. Now, I'll allow my mind to stay open to yours as well as the minds of my family so you can feel us and be comforted but be warned, I will not have you abuse us through the mind link and scream your hatred and anger at us because the moment that happens I will block you and keep the block up until you are healed. I trust you for the moment, my Son, don't betray that trust and lose the minds of me and my family. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Your family. They're all Time Lords and Ladies, right?"

"Yes."

"And there are…eight on board the TARDIS?"

"Yes."

"Then how come I feel ten minds?"

"Well, we have one back in Cardiff on Earth. Jack. He's human but he was given the ability to communicate with us because we also adopted him as a brother. The other…"

He sighed.

"The other is another insane Time Lady named the Rani. She turned out to be alive as well and she kidnapped me and my family and tried to experiment on us. I took her to Volag Nok and I blocked her mind from ours and I really suggest you do the same. She's incarcerated but I'm sure she'll look for any opportunity she can get to torment any other Time Lords. But she's also another example of what insanity will do to our kind along with another one named the Master. They were both with me at the academy and they both went bonkers and I'm not about to follow them."

He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Nor will I see my only son resigned to that fate. I love you very much and I know this will be rough but it's for the best right now. Just let them help you and I will come and see you when I can and I'll bring Patience and your children if they wish to come. Like I said, there are no barriers between us anymore except the ones you create."

He nodded and hugged him. The Doctor hugged him back and sent love into his mind.

"I have to go for the moment, Son. But I will visit soon, I promise. I need to help Patience and the children and after that I want to find your friends so they can be restored to their true selves. They're not like you, are they? With all the anger?"

"No, not really. They did listen to me when I said things about you but I'm not sure if they'll be hostile or not. But you're right, Father. I hate that they're human and have to hide."

"Well, I hate that we got the truth out of you through coercive methods but you weren't cooperating."

He lowered his eyes and nodded.

"Father?"

"Yes, my Son?"

"Tell…Rain…that I'm sorry."

"She knows, Dex. She understands why you did what you did but I will tell her."

He hugged him again.

"I'm glad you finally decided to listen for once, Dex, and take this chance. I want you in my life just as much as I want my other family. And I know this might seem like a punishment but it's not, it's an opportunity, alright?"

He nodded. The Doctor hugged him again and rubbed his back while he kissed his forehead. Then with one more squeeze of his hand, he escorted Patience out while the orderly closed the door behind them.

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Once he was back inside the TARDIS he mentally called to his family and smiled when Rory and Blizzard came bounding into the room before them. He rubbed their heads while they barked and licked his hands and wrists in greeting. The family came into the console room a moment later with Amelia and Opal and gathered around him.

"Is it done?" Alan asked.

"It's done. He went quietly and I think he will accept the therapy."

All of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, it's about time that boy got help," Alan said.

The Doctor's eyes widened when he saw his granddaughters. Both of them were wearing blue jeans. Amelia had on a lavender t-shirt and Opal had on a pink one. Both of them had white trainers on.

"Um, yeah," Alan said when he noticed the Doctor's shock. "They kinda wanted to try on what we were wearing and the TARDIS supplied them with clothes."

Patience stared at her daughters in shock when they came up to her.

"Ma, this is wonderful. It feels so cool and light and you can really move around," Amelia said to her.

"Yeah, I like Rain's clothes. They're better than dresses," Opal said.

_We have an idea, Brother,_ Alan thought to him.

_Yes?_

_If you're gonna take them to England, why not take them to modern day England. Take them to Ealing and see if Sarah Jane will help look after them and help them adjust. _

The Doctor's eyes widened.

_You know, that's not a bad idea, _he thought to them.

_Well, it seems like they'd be happier in modern day London_, Alan thought._ Life would be easier for them and that way they'd have Sarah there to help them and you could see her and your family at the same time. They would be safe there until Dex got out plus you have to admit, more education and opportunities for her and the girls. Amelia and Opal are bright, far too bright to spend their lives on a farm. They need to use those minds for something other than shoveling hay and cow dung._

_I agree, Brother._

He turned to Patience.

"Patience, why don't you follow the others to the kitchen and have some tea? I'll get the TARDIS started and then I'll join you. We have an idea about your housing situation but I want you to be relaxed before you hear it."

She nodded and the family smiled while they escorted her and her children back to the kitchen. The Doctor watched them go and then walked over to his console.

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Once the TARDIS was in the vortex, the Doctor walked back to the kitchen. His family made them comfortable and they were all sipping tea. The Doctor grabbed a mug, poured himself some and sat down beside Patience. He explained about what the orderly had said and the different therapy techniques before explaining Alan's idea to them. He could tell the children were excited about it but Patience was hesitant.

"Will we be alright in London in 2009?" she asked him.

"Oh yes, we have a friend named Sarah Jane. We're going to ask her to look after ya while we're gone. She's a wonderful lady and she has a 14 year old son named Luke and he has friends named Rani and Clyde that will befriend the children and help teach them. You can have a kitchen like this one there which means you won't have to work as hard and have more leisure time. The children can go to school and there is no end to what they can be when they grow up. There are very few gender barriers when it comes to jobs and they can grow up to be doctors, scientists, artists, writers, anything they can dream of being, they can be. Now I'm not saying it's a utopia there. There are a lot of new problems that you won't have in 1863 but the benefits outweigh them, at least in my opinion. We'll come and see you and help you any way we can and Sarah will do the same plus I have another friend named Wilf who I think will help you out as well. He lives in another section of London but I have a feeling he'll do everything he can to make you all feel at home. So what'd ya say? Would you like to try it at least? Because if you aren't happy there, we can take you someplace else in time and space."

"Please, Ma?" Amelia said.

"Yeah, we wanna live where we can wear this," Opal said.

"This Sarah Jane, she is a kind woman?"

"Very kind and she traveled with me for a few years so she'd understand your situation better than anyone else would. And Wilf would as well. And I have another friend named Jack who could also check up on you when he is in London and he has friends as well. You would have a support system there and then you'd have us as well so you wouldn't have to live alone in the farmhouse."

She nodded.

"I'll give it a try, Doctor," she said.

He grinned when the children cheered.

"Now, you might have to have a tiny crash course in modern day London or modern day Earth, for that matter, which we can help you with. Also, Alan here is having a birthday in a couple of days and Sarah Jane and her kids, Wilf and Jack and his friends are coming to it along with Rose's family. Would you like to stay here and meet them and help my brother celebrate his birthday?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Brilliant. Let me do this though. Let me talk to Sarah and bring her on board so you can meet her personally so she can talk to you before the party starts. So go ahead and relax and I'll be back."

He smiled and got up to go into the console room to make the call to Sarah Jane.

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After explaining everything to Sarah Jane, she readily agreed to help out and the Doctor flew the TARDIS to Ealing. When he landed, Sarah came outside and hugged him.

"Luke and the others are still in school right now if you care to wait for them."

"I can wait for as long as needs be," he said.

"I'm happy you found your son and I sincerely hope he'll be cured," she said as they stepped inside. "I would be happy to help Patience and her family adjust. In fact, I think there is a house a couple of blocks away that's for sale that might be perfect for them."

"Good," he replied.

"I do have a spare room that I converted into a bedroom for Rani or Clyde when they want to sleep over and she and the children can use it while we find them a house or a flat and that way I can teach them and get them adjusted to twenty first century life."

"Sarah, you are an angel."

"Well, considering all you did for me, it's just my little way of paying you back, Doctor. I also want your daughter in law and granddaughters to be safe and taken care of until Dex comes back."

They entered the kitchen and Sarah Jane smiled and hugged the rest of the family. She grinned when Rory and Blizzard came running up.

"And these are the dogs," she said, bending down to them. "Oh they're adorable. I'm glad Wilf found them in time."

She stood back up and smiled warmly at Patience.

"Hello, I'm Sarah Jane. The Doctor told me about you and your wanting to give London a try. I'd be happy to help you and your daughters adjust and I can offer you a room in my house until you can find somewhere to live."

"Thank ya," she replied.

She accepted a mug of tea from Alan and kissed his cheek.

"Happy first birthday, my handsome boy," she said in his ear.

He blushed at that and kissed her cheek back. Sarah Jane turned and smiled at Amelia and Opal. She bent down to them.

"Hello, I'm Sarah Jane, what are your names?"

"I'm Amelia."

"I'm Opal."

"Nice to meet you. I have a son, Luke, who's away at school right now but I'm willing to bet he'll be friends with you both. Would you like that?"

They nodded and she tousled their hair affectionately. She stood up and sat down across from Patience. The Doctor looked at his family, jerked his head towards the door and they all went out so Sarah could have time to talk to them.

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The Doctor and his family sat in their living room, relaxing. While he sat on the sofa, the Doctor scanned his son's mind but so far he seemed calm. He supposed once the therapists started talking to him there would be some anger that came up but as long as it wasn't directed towards him or his family, he was willing to put up with it. He knew allowing his son to feel their minds gave him comfort and added to his healing and he wasn't going to block him unless absolutely necessary.

He smiled when Rain snuggled up against him and closed her eyes. He was so thankful that she hadn't been harmed except for the whip marks and she was back to her normal cheerful, loving self.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see his brother smiling down at him.

"Got an idea, Brother. Want to run it by ya."

"Yes?"

"How 'bout for my birthday, we fly to ancient Rome and attend a bacchanalia."

The Doctor frowned.

"Bacchanalias were attended by women only," he said.

"Well…originally yes, but eventually they did let men go," he pointed out.

"Why a bacchanalia?"

"Feasting, drinking and frivolity. Plus, we'll get to watch a lot of people running around in a drunken stupor acting bonkers and this includes our wives, although…they won't be drunk but still, they can act drunk."

The Doctor looked at Rain who was giggling softly and staring at him.

"Latara, you wanna go watch a bunch of crazy, drunken Romans for his birthday?"

"Sounds like I'd be doing more than just watching."

"Okay…do you wanna go join a bunch of crazy, drunken Romans for his birthday?"

"No."

"Thought as much."

"I wanna go to Salem, Massachusetts and drink wine and eat cheese while we watch Giles Corey get pressed to death by heavy stones for not confessing to being a witch."

Alan sniggered when the Doctor gave her a wide-eyed look.

"May I ask why?"

"Um…curiosity?" she said, shrugging.

Alan bent over laughing at the shocked look on his brother's face.

"Um, suddenly I'm wondering if I got all of you out of the watch," he said.

Rose leaned over the couch.

"Nah, you don't wanna see that, Sis. Go to the French revolution and watch people get guillotined. That's a party right there!"

"Hey yeah, take us to the day Marie Antoinette gets it! I wanna see that!" Rain said.

"Nah," Donna said, leaning over the couch next to Rose. "Sod that, let's go find an actual working pendulum and watch someone get sliced in half!"

"Who are you people?" the Doctor said while they laughed hysterically. "Suddenly you've become very bloodthirsty. Maybe I should take you back to the mental health facility and get you rooms next to Dex."

"Actually, Love," Rain said, "we could always go back to see Kida and step on her spiders."

"Yeah, I wonder how my love slave's doin'," Alan said. "I bet she's lonely waiting for me to come back with the rope."

The Doctor snickered. Alan suddenly had a thought and bent down to whisper in his ear. The Doctor giggled and nodded.

"Ought-oh, "Donna said. "Now what are these two planning?"

"My family," the Doctor said, looking at all of them. "Come with me. My brother and I just had a splendid idea. Lead the way, Te'lesau."

Alan snickered while the Doctor got up with Rain. The family looked at each other when he led them out of the room.

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Kida stood in her bedroom in front of her mirror brushing her hair. Suddenly she heard a wheezing sound behind her and spun around to see the TARDIS materializing in front of her door. She gasped when the door opened and the Doctor stomped out.

"ARE YOU BEHAVING?" he bellowed.

She nodded, in shock.

"Have you killed anyone else?" the Doctor growled.

She shook her head. He smiled.

"Good because if you had, I would have thrown you to my randy brother. Right, Brother?"

Alan came outside and stood behind him, holding a coiled piece of rope in his hands.

"Let me at her, Brother, dear. I still need to tie her up and whip her!" he said with a wild look in his eyes.

"No!" Kida said. "I'm not doing anything! I swear! Just keep him away from me!"

"Good! Because remember, we're watching."

He let out a high-pitched "Whooooooo!" and waggled his fingers while he and Alan stepped back inside the TARDIS. Kida stared at the TARDIS in silent shock when it dematerialized.

Inside, the Doctor was bent over the console and Alan gripped the railing while they laughed hysterically. Their family stood a few feet away from Alan, giggling.

"That was good," Rain said, walking up to the Doctor.

"Well, we warned her we'd be keeping an eye on her from time to time, that was just in case she didn't believe us," the Doctor said.

"Ah man, that was great. We need to do that more often," Alan said, coming up the ramp with the rope. "Keep the little brat on her toes, ya know. Next time we need to do it while she's asleep and jump in bed with her."

The Doctor patted him on the back and they walked back towards the living room.

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Once Alan put the rope back, they went into the living room and turned on the TV while they wanted for Sarah Jane to get done talking to Patience. Awinita and Mingxia played chess while Donna read a book and Jenny and Rose talked to each other. Alan sat with his brother and sister who were snuggled against each other while they watched an alien quiz show.

While they watched, the Doctor looked over when Amelia came into the room.

"Hello there," the Doctor said while they smiled at her.

"Hi, Papaw," she said, walking to them. "Hi, Mamaw."

"Hi, Honey," Rain replied.

"How's your mum doing? Is she still in the kitchen with Sarah Jane?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, Opal's with them," she said. "Papaw, is Pa gonna be alright?"

"Oh yeah, Sweetheart, he'll be fine. He's just very sick and needed to be taken to a doctor so he can get better. He be back, you'll see."

"Are we really goin' to London in the future?"

"I think so. My friend, Sarah Jane, will help you do that."

"I like her. She's nice."

"Good. I'm glad. Because she is very nice and her son, Luke and their friends are nice too. But I want to talk to you about something because if you're gonna stay for your granduncle's birthday party, you need to know something."

"What, Papaw?"

He took her hand and guided her around to his lap. She sat down on it and he put his arms around her.

"You like Mamaw, don't you?"

She nodded and Rain smiled.

"And Awinita and Mingxia?"

"Yes."

"Good because you know they aren't white people like we are and you learned to accept them so I'm hoping you'll accept some of my other friends and Luke's friends because they aren't white either. You see, Sweetheart, in the time you're going to there is no slavery in America and there's a lot more acceptance of different races than there is in your time and a couple of my friends and one of Luke's friends is colored and another of Luke's friends is an India Indian. But all of them are just as friendly as we are and I'd like you to show them respect, alright? The same kind of respect that you've shown Mamaw and Awinita and Mingxia. Which means you can't call them…"

He whispered the N word in her ear.

"That's right out for you and your sister and your mother as well. That's an offensive word and I won't tolerate you using it around us, alright?"

She nodded.

"You can call them black or African American, but not colored or negro and certainly not the word I just whispered to you. They are very dear friends of mine and I hope in time they will be your friends as well. But in London in 2009, people are more open and accepting of other races…for the most part, there are still people who aren't accepting of course, but I don't want you or Opal to be like that. Your mother might be harder to convince but Sarah Jane will help all of you with that just like she'll help with all the differences you'll face. But I just want you to know because if you go to school in London your classmates will be different races and colors and you can't treat them like they're inferior because they're not, okay?"

She nodded.

"I want you to be at the party but like I said, treat everyone with the same respect you've shown Mamaw and my family, okay? This right here," he said, pointing to his hand, "is just skin color. It's pigment and it has nothing to do with intelligence. If you look around and notice you'll see that there are white people who have different shades of white skin. Some have darker white skin than paler white people do."

"And you're the palest one of all," Awinita said.

"And there will be no sarky comments from others during my talk, thanks," he said while the others giggled. "But anyway, I just wanted to prepare you and I will say the same thing to your sister and mum because I don't want people getting upset during Alan's party. Just treat everyone equally, yeah?"

"I will, Papaw."

He smiled.

"Good. I will be very happy if you do that."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You and your sister are gonna have to help your mum adjust to London, alright?"

"Yes."

"I think you'll have fun there. There's so much to do and you'll grow up not having to work on a farm and…you can be whatever you want to be. Sarah Jane is a journalist and she writes articles for a newspaper."

"She does?"

"Yes and my friend Martha is a doctor and my other friend Gwen is a police officer. You can be anything you want."

"Yeah, you can even be a temp if you want," Donna said.

They laughed when the Doctor shot her an exasperated look.

"Yeah or you can be a shop girl," Rose said, nudging Donna.

"Or you can help your dad run a Navajo hogan campground."

"Or you can be unemployed," Awinita said.

"Or be an ex-soldier who can't kill anyone because Dad wouldn't approve," Jenny said.

"I believe I said I didn't need your help," the Doctor said while they laughed.

He smiled at his granddaughter.

"Everyone here is silly, pay no attention to them. And this one right here is the silliest one of all," he said, pointing to Alan.

Alan wrapped his arms around Amelia and kissed her cheek.

"Gotta be silly to live in a silly universe," he said to her.

"Got a point there," Rose said.

Alan smiled at Amelia.

"I hope you like the rest of us just as much as Mamaw and Papaw," he said.

"I do."

"Good because I'm a very needy person and I require lots and lots of love and hugs and kisses to keep going," he said. "I run Rose ragged, don't I?"

"Yes, he does. I have to kiss him every 12. 2 minutes or he just slumps to the floor and he'll wither away."

Alan gave her a shocked look.

"Oh no, it's 12.1 minutes. I need a kiss before I wither! Quick Amelia, save me!"

She giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Ah, much better. I'm set for the next 12.2 minutes," he said.

"See, Sweetheart, he's very silly but he's a sweet guy," the Doctor said, tousling her hair.

They looked over when Sarah Jane stuck her head into the living room.

"The TARDIS led me here. I was gonna take Patience and Opal into the house and get them settled in. Would you like to come and see my house, Amelia?"

"Yes."

She smiled and reached out her hand. Alan let go of her and she walked over and took it.

"I just wanted to let you know where we were at and I need to meet Luke since it's almost time for him and his friends to come home and I'll tell them what's happening."

"Great. In the meantime, I'll go ahead and go pick up Jackie and her family and Wilf and Jack and Torchwood and get them comfortable in here so I'll be back."

"I'll let them know that. I'll see you when you get back. Come on, Sweetie, I'll show you where you'll be living till you find a new home."

Amelia nodded. She waved to them and they waved back. They watched them leave and then the Doctor stood up.

"Let's go get your family, Rose," he said while they walked out of the living room.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Before the Doctor left the universe, he got in touch with Dex and explained what they were going to do.

_Don't worry, Son, I'm not blocking you. I have a void crosser and I'm going across the void to get Rose's family. I'll be back soon but I just wanted to let you know so you didn't think I was suddenly cutting you off for no good reason._

_Why is her family in another universe, Father? _

_I'll explain when I visit. It's long and complicated and I need time to tell you. It'll give me a reason to come back soon but I love you with all my hearts and I'm glad you're safe._

_I love you too, Father._

_I'm glad, my Son. I'll talk to you later._

_Alright._

He cut off communication with them and used the void crosser to go into Pete's world.

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"Rose, love," Jackie said when she hugged her. "I missed ya."

She hugged everyone else.

"Happy birthday," she said to Alan.

"Thanks, Jackie."

"Awan!" Tony said, running out.

"Pollywog!" Alan said, scooping him up.

"How is Mickey?" Jackie asked Rose.

"He's fine. He's still with Jack's Torchwood."

"Good, I'm glad he's alright."

Pete appeared at the front door and smiled at them.

"Nice to see you all again. You came to get us, I suppose."

"If you're ready, if not I can get in the TARDIS and go forward a couple of days."

"That won't be necessary. We do have some presents for Alan so let us get those but we'll meet you over by the TARDIS."

They nodded and walked back.

"Ooo, presents," Alan said, strolling behind his family with his hands in his pockets.

Rain had a thought.

"Love, let's get my dad. I mean, he's Alan's family too and since we're over here, I'm sure he'd love to come to the party and see me in the process."

"Okay, we can do that. I'm sure he'll want to hear how you freed a plantation of Indian slaves," the Doctor said.

The Doctor opened the door and let them go inside while he leaned against the doorway and waited for Jackie and the others to come out.

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"Doctor, Alan, everyone this is a surprise," John said when he opened the front door.

He hugged Rain.

"Rainshower, I'm so glad to see you again!" he said, happily.

"Dad, we wanted to ask you something. It's Alan's first birthday and he's having a party in the TARDIS. Would you like to come?"

John beamed.

"I'd be honored," he said. "You'd be able to bring me back to this exact time though, won't you?"

"Yes, we can," the Doctor said.

"Well, Amber is staying with some cousins in Flagstaff at the moment and I don't think she'll want to come. To be honest, she was uneasy being in the TARDIS last time. But I'd like to come back here so I can be home if she needs to call me for anything."

The Doctor was secretly thrilled that Amber wouldn't be able to come with them. He smiled at John.

"We can do that, John. That's no problem."

"Then let me get ready and I'll knock on the TARDIS door when I'm ready. I'm anxious to hear what you've been doing since I last saw you."

They nodded and he went back inside while they headed back to the TARDIS.

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Once he was inside, they went back over the void. The Doctor smiled when he felt his son's mind again and he could sense his relief at them being back. They all sat and stood in the kitchen drinking tea while everyone told them about their adventures. Alan bounced Tony on his knee while John and Pete petted and rubbed the dogs. The Doctor told them about Dex and what had happened to Rain, making sure to tell John that she had been healed and had no trauma from her experiences. He did make sure to tell him what she had done after they found her and John beamed proudly at her which made his hearts soar.

"I'm glad you did that, Rainshower. You freed your fellow Indians and you did it without further bloodshed. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad," she said.

John looked at the Doctor.

"Who else are we picking up?"

"Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Martha and Mickey and Wilf and then we're going back to Sarah Jane's and she and the kids are coming along with Patience, Opal and Amelia."

"Good. So we do get to meet them," Jackie said.

"Yes. So you lot go ahead and chat and I'll fly to Torchwood now. If you'll excuse me."

He finished his tea, got up, put his mug by the sink and headed towards the console room.

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"Great to see ya, Buddy," Jack said when they hugged each other. "Did everything go well in 1863?"

"Yes and I'll tell you all about it. I actually found my son, his wife and her two daughters. So I have a daughter in law and two grandchildren now."

"Jesus Christ, will you quit finding more family members? It's getting hard to keep up with all of them. Each time you land there's more!" he said while the rest of Torchwood laughed. "Where do you find all these people? Are they gonna travel with you now?"

"No, but as I said, I'll explain that to everyone in the kitchen. So if you guys wanna step inside…"

Everyone headed in. The Doctor stopped Martha.

"Jack told me about you being bit by the vampire. Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, he didn't get more than a few sips before they knocked him off me."

"Good, I'm glad."

He hugged her and let her go onboard. Mickey was behind her and patted him on the shoulder.

"Nice to see ya, Boss."

"And you. Glad you're all still in one piece."

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it. Those vampires were hard to defeat."

He smiled and went inside. The Doctor followed them in, shut the door and took the TARDIS into the vortex.

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"Doctor, I'm glad to see you again," Wilf said when he met him at the TARDIS door. "Are you ready for the party?"

"Well, yes and no, we are ready but we're picking up everyone because I want you to be on board to meet some very special people I found. I have everyone on board except Sarah Jane and the kids and I'll take you over to her but I need to talk to everyone before that."

He nodded and stepped inside while the Doctor closed the door. He waited till he got the TARDIS back in the vortex and then he took Wilf to the kitchen.

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Everyone sat and stood around them listening while the Doctor told them what happened in 1863 and about his son and bringing Patience and her children back to modern day London. No one said a word, listening to him while they sipped their tea and petted the dogs who were delighted at all the extra people.

"So, Dex is getting treatment now?" Jack said when he finally finished.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, at long last. And that's why I wanted you to come back with me early because I want you to meet Patience and Amelia and Opal. They're with Sarah right now and she's showing them her house and I told her I'd be back once I got done getting all of you. I also told Amelia not to be disrespectful and call people names especially Martha and Mickey and Clyde. I'll tell Patience and Opal too but she's accepted Rain and Awinita and Mingxia so I don't think she'll say anything derogatory towards anyone. But Wilf, I would love for you to look after them as well and visit them from time to time."

"I will, Doctor. I'll help get them adjusted along with Sarah Jane."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it."

"I have a thought," Alan said.

"Yes?" the Doctor said.

"I'm sure Patience is gonna want at least some of her furniture and belongings. I mean they are her things and I'm sure some of them are antiques and family heirlooms. With everyone here why not go back and help put the things into storage in here so when they do get a home they can have their stuff."

"Good thinking. Would you lot mind doing that?"

They shook their heads.

"I'm sure with everyone here we can have her things moved in no time. We'll wait till Patience gets back in here though in case there are things she doesn't want. But yes, I'm pretty sure she'll want her and the children's stuff at least. So now that I've explained I'll take the TARDIS back to Sarah's house. So you lot just chat and I'll bring my daughter in law and granddaughters back to meet ya."

He got up and headed out of the kitchen.

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He landed the TARDIS a few hours from when he left so Luke and the others would be home. Sarah let him inside and the Doctor whispered his concern about Patience and Opal's prejudice.

"Don't worry, I addressed that and they do understand now that things are different here. When they came home I pulled the teens aside and explained to my son and Rani and Clyde what was going on and prepared them but so far, nothing has happened. Patience has been talking to them and the children are getting along with them."

"Good. I have everyone else in the TARDIS and we picked up John too since we were in the other universe."

"Oh good, I'm glad you did that. I like him and I'm sure Rain's been wanting to see him."

"There's one other thing though…"

He explained to Sarah about moving the things and Sarah nodded.

"Patience did say that as well. She does want her things. I'd be happy to help you move them into storage and so would the others."

The Doctor nodded and she led them into her kitchen to let everyone know it was time to go.

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The Doctor stood with Sarah Jane in the TARDIS kitchen while Patience and the children met everyone. Everyone was polite and warm with her and the children played happily with Tony on the floor beside the kitchen table. Wilf made sure to let her know that he would also be checking on her and Patience thanked him. Once everyone was acquainted, the Doctor inquired about moving and after everyone said they were fine with moving the things into storage, the Doctor left to take the TARDIS back to 1863.

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He landed a day later than they left so Hank and Ben and Josiah and the others would be gone. He stepped outside into the empty house with Alan while the others waited in the console room. Seeing no one around, they walked to the front door, opened it and walked around the house. When they saw the grounds were deserted they gave the all clear and everyone filed out and began to move the furniture and knick knacks. The TARDIS moved a storage closet directly to the back door so they wouldn't have far to go. The men moved the furniture while the women got the smaller things and the knick knacks.

"Doc?" Jack said coming down the stairs.

"Yes?" he said to him while Alan came up beside him.

"Does she want the beds? I mean, they're small and they can get better, more modern beds once they move into their house. I mean, the only thing they'd be good for is museum pieces."

The Doctor and Alan both looked at Patience when she walked up to them and repeated what he said.

"Is that alright? They have much more comfortable beds in the twenty first century."

"You mean like the water bed?"

"Well, they do have water beds but they also have beds that are larger with more comfortable mattresses."

"Yes, that's fine. You can leave them."

"Will do."

"Although…" Alan said.

Jack paused.

"Yeah?" he said.

Alan looked at his brother.

"What Jack said about museum pieces? We could donate them to museums. It would be a shame to just leave them to rot here if they're in fairly good condition."

"Aw, Al, you're making more work for me and Ianto and Mickey, is that it?"

The Doctor snickered.

"I don't think they're that heavy, are they?" he said.

"Okay, we'll bring them down then," Jack said, heading upstairs.

Alan suddenly had another thought.

"Brother, come with me a mo," he said.

The Doctor followed him to the door and he opened it. He pointed to the cows and horses.

"What do we do about the cows and horses and chickens?" he said. "We just can't let them starve."

The Doctor rubbed his cheek while he stared at them.

"Good question, Brother. Would the other farms take them?"

"We could ask but since the fire destroyed the wagon we'd have to walk," Alan said.

Sarah Jane came up beside them.

"What's the matter?" she said.

"The livestock there. We're trying to figure out a solution to what we could do with them," he said, pointing.

"We can't take them, not in the middle of London."

The Doctor nodded.

"I suppose perhaps we can take them onboard," Alan said. "Have the TARDIS create a special room for them and she could take care of them. Rain knows how to milk them and she could teach us. We could have fresh eggs and milk and you could finally realize your dream of having horses on board."

The Doctor smiled and rolled his eyes while Sarah Jane chuckled.

"I suppose that might be the best solution. At least until we find somewhere to take them," the Doctor said. "You're right; we can't let them starve to death."

Patience joined them.

"Ya'll are taking the animals?" she said.

"Yes. I think so. Not for you since you'll be in London and won't have need of them, just so they won't die. Unless you know of others who'll take them?"

"We have neighbors but we have no way to contact them right away unless they just happen to be passin' by," she said. "We don't have that telephone thing Sarah showed us."

"Well, I suppose the best solution is to take them on board and the TARDIS can create a room where they can stay. At least they can roam free and not be penned up. Excuse me guys, I'll talk to her and see if she can help us."

He walked to the TARDIS while the other three went back to moving the items. He waited while Jack and Ianto moved a dresser inside before following them in. He walked over to the console out of the path of the movers and reached out to his ship.

_Yes, Beloved?_ The TARDIS thought.

_I need your help. We need to bring cows and two horses and chickens on board. Can you create a special room for them and help take care of them for the moment until we figure out where they can go?"_

_Yes, I can do that._

_Thank you. We'll wait till everyone gets done moving and then get them inside._

_I will do as you ask, Beloved._

_Thank you, my ship._

He cut off communication and went out to help with the moving.

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Finally after a few hours, everyone was done and everything was stored neatly in the storage closet. The Doctor led everyone out to the console room and lowered the defenses while he mentally asked the TARDIS to land over the chicken coop and put it in the room she created so no one would risk getting their eyes pecked out when they tried to move them. The TARDIS complied and once she was done, she switched rooms and brought the created room to the back door. They looked inside and noticed there was a vast pasture with plenty of grass for the cows and horses, a few apple trees and a large lake in the distance. The TARDIS had removed the fence leaving just the hen house and provided feed corn for the hungry fowl. They were pecking at it and some worms that the TARDIS also provided. The TARDIS also provided the Doctor and the others with some rope and harnesses and bridles for the horses so they could lead them inside. Everyone grabbed the ropes and harnesses and went outside. Patience and the children watched while they put the rope around the cow's necks and tightened it at the same time the Doctor, Jack, Alan and Ianto slipped the harnesses on the horse's heads. They slowly began to move them over to the TARDIS. They led the cows up the ramps, across the room and into the pasture room where they took the ropes off and slapped them on the rump making them run away from the door. Once they got over their initial fright, they began to graze on the grass. The TARDIS had an invisible barrier over the door, keeping the animals inside but allowing everyone to lead the other animals through it. Finally, the Doctor and Alan led the horses in, took off the harnesses and let them join the cows and chickens. Once that was finished the TARDIS shut the door and took the room back to its original position. Everyone made one more inspection of the empty house checking to see that everything was gone. Satisfied it was, they walked back to the TARDIS and the Doctor took them back into the vortex.

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Once he was in the vortex, everyone went back to the kitchen. The TARDIS made some biscuits and appetizers for them while they sipped their tea and milk and continued to talk. The Doctor smiled when he noticed that his new family was adjusting well, which he was thankful for since it was a shock for all of them, but especially for Patience since she was older. He hoped with the help of his friends they would all adjust completely to modern day London.

The TARDIS made up rooms for all of them including Patience and the children. The Doctor and Alan led them to theirs. The TARDIS had tried to make the interiors look Victorian and gave the children toys they would be familiar with. The children were enchanted with it all and went into their room to play with Tony. The three teens followed them and sat on the floor talking and playing with them which made the Doctor happy. He smiled at his daughter in law.

"How are you doing?" he asked her while they walked away.

"I'm doin' fine. Just a lot to take in at once."

"I know, that's why I wanted you to meet Sarah first so you'd know that you'd have someone to help you cope with twenty first century London. The children will adjust quickly as children do but I'm more concerned about you which is why I'm doing this. But trust me; life in London will be much easier on you and the children. There will be more time to rest and have fun. You'll live longer and all of you will lead richer, fuller lives. The children will grow up healthy and happy and will be freer than they were in 1863. Women have more freedoms, more rights and you'll find there's more assistance, not just from my friends but from society in general. And like I said before, if you or the children ever want to talk to us or ride somewhere with us, we'll come and get you. I'll give Sarah a phone you can use and you can use her phone as well so you can keep in touch with us and talk to us if you want to."

"Thank ya, but it's amazin' to me that you're so willin' to be a part of our family."

He smiled.

"Well, over the past few months I've learned the importance of having family in your life," he said, patting Alan's shoulder. "And you are relatives since you're married to my son. I'd be a right bastard to turn my back on you and my grandchildren and leave you to fend for yourselves."

"I'm glad you are helpin' and I'm thankful for ya and Alan and your family and friends. Ya'll are a Godsend."

He smiled at that.

"But I got a question. Do ya'll have a name? I mean, Doctor…"

"No, that is the name I use. I know it's odd but that's the name I prefer. I have a true name but for personal reasons, I don't use it and everyone just knows me as Doctor."

_Except River_, Alan thought to him.

_Well, actually, Rain knows it as well,_ the Doctor thought back.

Alan was taken aback.

_You did tell her? _

_Yup._

_Oh, I was wonderin' if you would or not since she was your wife. I'm glad you did, Brother._

_You didn't tell Rose?_

_No, that's your name originally and it's your business if you tell her or anyone else._

_Thank you, I appreciate that._

_No problem._

Alan and Doctor led Patience back into the kitchen. They continued to chat for awhile. Both Martha and Mickey were uneasy at first around her but she was cordial and they soon relaxed when they saw she wasn't being a bigot. They both spoke to her and the Doctor's hearts warmed when she spoke to them as equals. He finally was at ease knowing that Patience wouldn't have as hard a time fitting into modern London as he first thought. Everyone listened to her while she described her life growing up in Georgia and how she met Dex. While they talked, the teens led the children into the room and gave them some biscuits. Alan gave Amelia, Opal and Tony some milk while the teens drank Cokes. He laughed when Tony followed Alan back to his seat and he rubbed his back while Tony ate his biscuits and drank his milk. Alan shooed away Rory when she tried to grab his biscuit from his hands and she went to beg food off other people. Tony watched the dogs with fascination while he ate. While she did that, Blizzard was being petted and cooed over by Rani who was feeding her pieces of her ham sandwich. Rory saw her and went over to join in.

The Doctor felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up at Rain.

"Love, could I talk to for a moment in private?" she said.

"Sure, hold down the fort, Brother."

"Oui, mon capitan," he said, nodding.

Rain led him out the door and they walked into her bedroom. She closed it behind them.

"What's wrong, Latara?"

"Thete, I've been thinking. You used to think you were the last one and then the Master came along and then the Rani and then Jenny and Dex and now there's six others."

"Yes, we've suddenly got an influx of Time Lords and Ladies."

"Yes, Love, but what if there's more that managed to escape and are hiding. What if…Susan escaped?"

He stared at her quietly taking that in.

"Or Romana, Love. Your friend. I mean, I'm not trying to cause you pain, only point out the possibilities. If Dex and his friends could bribe the guards and get a TARDIS, why couldn't others do the same? And if the Valeyard had a void crosser that the High Council kept secret, then if Romana was the president, could she have had access to the same thing? What if Romana defied the order to stay and secretly moved others into another dimension and somewhere in another universe there is a new Gallifrey?"

The Doctor lowered himself to the bed.

"Leela," he murmured. "Leela and Andred. My friends and family. Oh God, Latara, you really think that could be a possibility?"

Rain sat down beside him.

"Love, all these new Gallifreyans that keep surfacing…I'm willing to bet there are others and your friends and family might be among them. Maybe waiting for you to find them. Maybe these friends of Dex might know something if we find them. I'm willing to believe if you are. You told me once that the Master wanted a new Gallifrey in the heavens but what if there already is one?"

He considered that while Rain stroked the back of his head.

"We have these six Gallifreyans, we can start with them," he said. "Find them and see if they do know anything."

"But even if they don't, we could always find an uninhabited planet and they could terraform it, couldn't they? Make a new Gallifrey where everyone could live."

"But it would die out eventually. The looms were all destroyed."

She smiled.

"But there are other ways to have children even if you are sterile? Even if they do what they did on Messaline and made them from genetic extraction."

The Doctor nodded.

"You're right, Latara."

He smiled.

"A brand new Gallifrey where our people can be reborn and grow and thrive and hopefully it will be an improvement over the old, especially where the government's concerned."

"And if the Daleks are well and truly dead now there's no threat of another Time War breaking out," Rain added.

She stroked her cheek when she saw the hopeful look in his eyes.

"Even if we never find anyone else besides these six, that's still six more than we had before. Plus Dex, plus us makes fifteen Gallifreyans."

"Sixteen, the Rani."

"Yeah but we're not really counting her, are we?" she muttered, rolling her eyes while he chuckled. "But if you take those six at least and use something like that machine on Messaline, in no time at all, you'd have the beginnings of another Gallifrey."

He took her arms and kissed her forehead.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you humans and your ability to imagine all these things is why I love your kind and you kept that when you converted. But first things first, first we have to find these six other Time Lords and Ladies and make sure they're sane before we ask them to be the Adams and Eves of the new Gallifrey."

She nodded.

"I know and I know it's their choice whether or not they want a new Gallifrey. But…just putting that notion in your head, my beloved husband."

"Well, I think we should share that notion with the rest of the family, don't you?"

She smiled and nodded. The Doctor kissed her lips and they stood up, left the room and headed back towards the kitchen.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Once they got back to the kitchen, they pulled their family aside and led them out in a corridor away from everyone and the Doctor mentally told them what Rain had said.

_Hmmm, a new Gallifrey, that would be something,_ Alan thought, _although I'd hope it'd be a lot less corrupt than the old one. _

They glanced over when Jack walked up to them.

"Are you discussing getting more family members now?" he said in disbelief.

"No, just speculating on different theories about Gallifrey and our people," the Doctor said to him. "We might be wrong but at least we know there are possibly six others out there."

"If they haven't died by now," Jack said.

"Well, we'll find that out eventually, I suppose. At any rate, it gives us an excuse to explore since most of the places Dex mentioned I've never been to before."

"Are they all in this universe?"

"Yes, my son didn't have a void crosser."

"And you think there could be more besides these six?"

"I don't know, but the Master was hidden on Malcasairo, then we found the Valeyard, then the Rani turned up out of the blue, then we found Dex so I'm not ruling anything out at this point."

"Do you need me to come with you?" Jack asked.

The Doctor frowned.

"Um, you can if you want but I don't see why you would need to," he said.

"Well, let's see. You found three insane Time Lords all in a row and your own son tried to barbecue our entire family. Who's to say these other six aren't gonna be any different which means that you might need help."

"What about your team?" Alan asked.

Jack shrugged.

"You have a time machine. Take me back around the time you picked us up. I wouldn't be gone from them for long and they can take care of themselves in my absence. Let's face it, with the luck you've had, you might need me. At the very least, I can help you find the first one and make sure he's sane before going back."

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

"You're welcome to come along, Jack," the Doctor said. "But I would tell your team just in case something does happen to us."

"I will and believe me, I know you guys and something is bound to happen. It's never just land, find the missing Time Lords and go, there's always some monster or villain so you better believe I'll be telling the others about my leaving."

"Well, as soon as the party is over and everyone is taken back to their homes we'll start the search," the Doctor said.

Jack smiled at Alan.

"Yup, gotta celebrate your first birthday and might I say, you look very mature for your age, Alan."

"I have Progeria," he replied.

Jack frowned.

"What's that?"

"The disease that causes premature aging. Little kids looking eighty years old, ya know?" Alan said.

"OH! Well I'm sorry I didn't get the full Time Lord brain so you'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge about Progeria."

Alan looked at his brother and rolled his eyes.

"I saw that," Jack said.

Alan gave him a long hard stare.

"I sincerely hope so since you're standing right beside me," he said while the rest of them laughed.

He leaned into Jack's face and did a slow eye roll before leaning back up.

"And I really hope you saw that just then," he replied.

"Does he have to come out of the TARDIS when we start finding the other Time Lords?" Jack said to the Doctor.

"Does he have to come at all?" Alan replied.

"Alright, you two, stop fighting before I make you put your noses in a corner and stand there."

Alan looked at Jack and stuck his tongue out.

"Timelord?" the Doctor said, pointing his finger at him. "Behave."

"I'm sorry, Daddy dearest, don't beat me with a wire coat hanger, please! I promise I'll behave and eat all my gruel at supper and afterwards I'll lick the dishes clean with me tongue."

"Geez," Jack said when all the women bent over laughing. "I'm so glad I didn't travel with you full time. The ninth Doctor was odd enough without him having your personality."

"What'd ya mean, odd?" the Doctor said while the women laughed harder.

"You were brooding and moody and you were constantly insulting me and calling me a stupid ape and crap like that."

"And you're not?" the Doctor said.

"HA HA!" Alan crowed.

"Oh yeah, I know you find that hilarious," Jack muttered to Alan.

"Bang on, I do. Glad you could spot that along with my eye roll. Brava!"

Jack shook his head. He looked at Rose standing behind him.

"You actually were brave enough to get married to this guy?" he said to her.

"I love him," she said, laying her head on his shoulder while Alan glanced back and smiled tenderly at her.

"What's the attraction?"

"I provide amusement for her with my witty bon mots and she in turn provides me with hugs and kisses and love, that's the attraction."

"I've loved him ever since we were left on the beach in Norway," Rose said.

"And you're completely over the Doctor," Jack said, pointing to him.

"Yeah, well Alan quickly won me over," she said while Alan chuckled.

"I'm a lovable Time Lord teddy bear that's full of glee and giggles."

"You're full of something but I don't think it's glee and giggles," Jack muttered.

They laughed when his mouth dropped open.

"Big, strong Time Lord Brother, other Brother's picking on me," he whined to the Doctor.

"Hey!" the Doctor said walking over to Jack. "Leave my baby brother alone before I have to…do something…mildly unpleasant to your person."

"Yeah, you tell em, give em hell and make him too scared to mouth off to me again!" Alan said.

Jack shook his head.

"You two need to go on the road as a comedy team, seriously," he said to the Doctor.

Just then, Sarah Jane turned the corner and walked towards them.

"Okay," the Doctor said loudly to Jack. "We'll go on the road and do a magic act and Sarah Jane can be our assistant."

"I can be what?" Sarah Jane said walking up to him while they laughed hysterically. "What are all of you planning?"

"Well, Jack said that Alan and I need to go on the road as a comedy team and I had a better idea. We could be magicians and you could be our assistant. We need someone to saw in half."

Sarah Jane raised her eyebrow when they giggled.

"I think I'll give that a miss, thanks," she said.

"What? You don't want to be a part of the Great Doctrini's magic act?"

"No, I think I'll be fine being a journalist in Ealing. I don't think you wanna see me in a skimpy assistant's costume anyway."

She gave him a peck on the cheek and he blushed.

"Most of the guests are in the living room now. The children are playing in Amelia and Opal's rooms and Wilf is having a nap. I, on the other hand, wondered what all of you were up to so I came to find you since you've been gone for awhile."

The Doctor explained what Rain had said and their plans.

"That would nice for you to have a new Gallifrey but would you really want to live there?" Sarah said to the Doctor.

"Not me, I'm not interested in it. But if we are finding all these new Time Lords and Ladies, it might be nice for them to have a place where they can live and not be scattered all over time and space. Even if no one wants a new Gallifrey, at least we could find somewhere where they could have a home world again. I just don't like the idea of all these Time Lords being human and scattered around the universe. I'm sure there's more to them turning human than just to torment me. These other six probably didn't even know me personally. I have a feeling a part of the reason was in case someone did try to apprehend them and take them back and if that's a part of the reason, there's no danger of that now. I would just like to offer them a choice. If they want to go back to human lives, that's easily fixed with the chameleon arch but I have to try to find them. Besides, I know my son would probably be happy if he had his friends back."

"Well, I really do hope he gets out of that asylum eventually."

"So do I. I think he has a chance though. Most therapy doesn't work unless the person wants it and I think he really does want to be cured. I think he realized that he can't live the rest of his lives angry and bitter. I can feel him and he's not angry at the moment. I think once he saw how nice the facility was that helped to calm him down."

"So you think he'll travel with you once he gets out?" Jack asked him.

He shrugged.

"Not sure. I have his TARDIS in one of my storage closets and he's entitled to it when he gets out. Whether he uses it or goes with us or stays with his family in London is up to him. I'll support him whatever he decides but I have a feeling Patience won't want to travel and I'm not sure if she'd like the idea of him going off into time and space and leaving her alone. She seems to be taking all of this fairly well, being in the TARDIS and all, but I doubt she'd wanna travel full time. So he's gonna have to make a decision about that. A decision neither I nor Alan had to make because Rose and Rain both wanted to come with us, even when they were human. The other thing he's gonna have to come to terms with is he's a Time Lord now and his family is human and short of finding Imiko they're gonna stay that way which means he has to accept them aging and dying now."

"The whole curse of the Time Lords thing," Rose said.

"Well, yes. But when I said that I wasn't willing to be around people who would eventually die because it was too painful for me and you mean a lot to me and it does hurt watching people you care about wither and die. Trust me, Rose, you'll see what I mean in several years when you stay the same and your family starts getting older and older. Jackie and Pete do understand what that means because they know us but it might be hard for Patience to grasp, especially if Dex does stay in London and she grows older and older and he never changes."

"That'll be one of the things I'll tell her about, Doctor," Sarah Jane said. "I'm trying to explain all of this as best I can and use examples she can understand but there will be times she might not understand everything I'm saying to her. She may just have to accept some things."

He nodded.

"Yes, like I said the children I think will adapt more easily to everything. After all, they're already in jeans and t-shirts and they hadn't been in the TARDIS for barely an hour before they did that. Once they get adjusted, they're gonna have to help her adjust but I'd rather they did adjust to twenty first century London than go through the end of the Civil War and the aftermath."

They all nodded. The Doctor glanced around.

"Now that everyone's settled in, there's not much else to do. Do you lot wanna go somewhere just for a quick walk or something?" he said to them.

"Such as?" Jack said.

"Well, just a pleasant planet where we can get out and get some fresh air. I'm not sure where the dogs went but we do take them out on walks after they went through obedience training. Just find a planet with a pleasant landscape and take a walk and talk. Beats standing in the corridor in a bunch."

He took Rain's hand and led them up to the console room. Once they were there, he stood by his monitor thinking while they gathered around him. He suddenly thought of a destination and set the coordinates. The rotor came to life and he stepped back.

"There's a planet called Nightshade. Now despite its sinister sounding name it's actually a pleasant place. Lots of lush lavender grass, flowing streams and purple birds called Mallocks that resemble swans. I think it'll do for an afternoon walk."

"Papaw?"

They looked over when Amelia entered the room.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"What are ya'll doin'?"

"Well, we were going to go to another planet. A planet called Nightshade and take a little walk. Would you like to come and see what another world looks like?"

She nodded and he held out his hand to her. She walked up and took it. The Doctor pointed to the rotor and explained it while everyone smiled at her childlike wonder. There was a sudden thud and the TARDIS powered down.

"Be right back, everyone," he said, running out of the room.

He checked the children's room and saw the teens talking to Opal while she played with Tony. The dogs were lying on the bed but they perked up when they saw their master and ran to him.

"You lot don't mind if we borrow the dogs for awhile, do ya?"

The teens shook their heads.

"Awan?" Tony said, toddling over.

"No, wrong person!"

He picked him up and held him over his head while he giggled.

"You're a cutie, you know that! Too bad you're too tiny to travel with me. We could always use more men in the TARDIS."

He gave him a big kiss on the cheek while he giggled.

"I love you, Awan," he said.

"Aaaaah, well, he's too young to understand the concept of cloning. I love you too, Pollywog," he said, imitating his brother's gruff voice.

He gave him a tight hug and smiled when Opal walked over.

"Oh, you want one too, eh?" he said.

He knelt down and took her in his other arm, giving her a hug and a kiss. He looked at the teens.

"We landed on a planet called Nightshade and we're all about to take a walk. You wanna go?"

The teens nodded. He looked at Opal.

"You wanna take a walk with us, Honey?"

"Yes, Papaw,"

"Okay, let's get the dog's leashes and hand Tony here over to his mum and we'll get going.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow, this is Ace," Clyde said while they walked through a field on Nightshade.

When the Doctor took Tony back to Jackie, Ianto had opted to join them and he and Jack were walking hand in hand behind the group. Donna and Rose were walking the dogs while the Doctor held his granddaughters' hands in case they became fearful of their surroundings. But so far both of them were spellbound and looking around them in delight.

They walked over to a lake where several purple Mallocks were floating along. They paused and watched them.

"Pretty birds!" Opal said, pointing at them.

"Yes, they are, aren't they?" the Doctor said, smiling.

They settled down beside the banks. Opal and Amelia played with the dogs while the Doctor put his arm around Rain. They watched the Mallocks floating around in the water while they ducked under it to get food. They sat and talked to one another quietly. Suddenly Amelia tugged on the Doctor's sleeve.

"Papaw," she said fearfully.

He jerked his head around and saw her staring past him. Everyone turned their head and saw two humanoid ducks staring at them.

"It's alright, Sweetheart," he soothed when she scooted closer to him.

Rain put her arms around them while the Doctor stood up and smiled at the creatures. One of them resembled a Mallard duck with green feathers covering his head and a wide yellow bill. He had brown feathery hands and was wearing a long white gown. His companion had brown feathers all over her body and was wearing an identical gown.

"Hello there," the Doctor said.

"Greetings, I am Androsus and this is my mate, Pellar. You're not native to this planet, I take it?"

"No, we're not. We're just taking a walk and stopped to rest by the river. I'm the Doctor and behind me is…"

"Wait, you say you are the Doctor?"

"Yes."

"The Doctor? The legendary time traveler that saves worlds from annihilation?"

He sighed and nodded.

The ducks looked at each other.

"Doctor, you are a legend," Androsus gushed, coming up to him.

"Yeah," the Doctor muttered. "Anyway, behind me is…"

"It is so wonderful to finally meet the legend at last," Androsus said. "We have heard many tales of you since the time we were small ducklings."

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, that's fantastic. The people behind me are…"

"Wait, who is this then?" Androsus said, pointing to Alan. "By the great Cygnus, he looks exactly like you."

"He's my brother, Alan," the Doctor replied.

Alan's eyes widened when he suddenly leaned forward into his face.

"The brother of the legendary Doctor. It must be an honor being related to him!"

Everyone giggled when the Doctor turned several shades of red.

"Um, yes it is, I'm proud to be his brother," Alan said.

"Indeed. He has done so many great things. You have every right to be proud of him," Androsus said.

"Yeah well I've done some great things as well."

"Of course you have," he said, patting his head.

Rose glared at them when she saw the shocked look on her husband's face. Alan gave them an incensed look while they turned their attentions back to the Doctor who looked like he was about to jump into the lake.

"So, tell us some of your exploits, great Doctor," Pellar said.

"Um, I'm sorry but if you don't mind we're just enjoying a quiet moment. I'm happy to have met you both but I'm really not in the mood for telling stories."

"But you must tell us, please. We are eager to hear of your adventures, Doctor," Pellar said.

Jack glanced at Ianto.

"'Scuse me, Yan, I'm gonna go save the Doctor's bacon," he said.

He got up and walked around the group.

"Hi there!" he said cheerfully. "Captain Jack Harkness, nice to meet ya!"

"Yes, delighted," Androsus said tersely.

Everyone glared at them when he immediately turned his attention back to the Doctor.

"Anyway, getting back to you and your exploits, Doctor…" Androsus said.

"I traveled with him!" Jack said, holding his hand up.

Their attention was finally diverted from the embarrassed Doctor.

"Really?" Pellar said.

"Yeah, I can tell you a few of our exploits. I had many adventures with him."

Both ducks were now focused on him.

"Like what, Mister Harkness?" Pellar said.

"Captain, call me Captain Harkness," he said, winking at her. "Anyway, I'll be happy to walk with you and tell you about some of the things we did."

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief when they walked off with him.

_There, Doctor, don't say I never did anything for you,_ Jack thought to him.

_I owe ya one, Jack,_ he thought back. _Just keep your stories brief. I don't wanna be here forever._

_No problem, I'll just whet their appetites and come back to you. _

The Doctor sat back down and watched while he led them away.

"I guess they've never heard of mind your own business before," Donna said to them.

"Bro's a celebrity, they can't help but be enchanted by him," Awinita said.

"Yeah, well they can keep their enchantment to themselves," the Doctor said.

He put his arm around Amelia. She and her sister were watching the duck people with fascination. He looked back at Alan.

"Sorry about that, Brother. I hate that they were so rude to you."

"Eh, wouldn't be the first time someone was rude to me, think nothing of it."

"Does that happen to you all the time?" Rani asked.

"No, thankfully," the Doctor said to her. "I don't think I'd wanna travel through time and space if I were constantly mobbed like that by my "fans"."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back to see Awinita grinning at him.

"It's you! Oh my God, you're a god! Can I have your autograph?"

"Oi!" he said while everyone laughed hysterically. "You watch that or I'll leave you behind!"

"Darn, I don't have my camera here so I can take Dad's picture!"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open when everyone laughed harder.

"Oh no, I knew it was a bad idea letting you lot stay around my daughter. Now she's getting to be just like you!" he said, pointing to Awinita.

"Sorry, great Doctor, we can't help but be overawed by your brilliant, blinding radiant self," Mingxia said.

"Yes, it's a privilege to be able to be in your presence," Rose added.

"And I hope sincerely, Brother, that one day we might be permitted to lick the mud and dirt off your trainers."

The Doctor rolled his eyes when they laughed.

"Well, you know," Sarah Jane said with a wicked gleam in her eye. "That's why I had to stop traveling with him. I got tired of being pushed into mud puddles and having him tread on me so he could keep his opera cape and scarf dry."

"Sarah!" the Doctor said while they roared with laughter. "Oh God, not you as well."

Luke patted her on the shoulder.

"Good one, mum," he said.

"Thank you, Luke. I figured I might as well get in on the teasing too."

"Opera cape and scarf, when did he wear that stuff?" Ianto asked.

"In his third and fourth lives. He wore the cape in his third life and this really long scarf in his fourth. That's when I traveled with him."

Ianto stared at him.

"You used to wear an opera cape?" he said.

Alan sniggered when he saw the incensed look on his face.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?" Ianto asked.

"Because I thought it made me look dashing, alright? That was my third life, not me. I wouldn't be caught dead in it now."

"Well, Jack and Mickey and Martha have told us a few things about traveling with you but not that. But then again, I guess that's because they weren't around then."

"I know some things that happened back then. I saw my husband's memories," Rain said.

"Wife of mine, shut your trap if you want to continue calling me husband!" he said while they laughed.

"I know a lot more than her. I have all his memories!"

"Alan Timelord! Shut your gob…now!"

"I know some things as well. Alan told me," Rose chimed in.

"Yeah but you've only heard them secondhand. Rain and me's actually seen em," Alan said.

"I'm warning you all. You want to see me become The Oncoming Storm, just keep on with your plans to tell everyone everything about me."

"You wouldn't hurt a fly, Sprinkles."

"Rain!" he said while everyone laughed.

"Sprinkles?" Sarah Jane said with an amused grin.

"Yeah, I…"

The Doctor slammed his hand over her mouth causing his granddaughters to giggle.

"Shut it, now, wife of mine," he hissed in her ear.

"I know what Sprinkles means," Rose said. "Sis told me once."

The Doctor lunged for her, taking his hand off Rain's mouth.

"So anyway," Rain said. "What I was gonna say was…"

The Doctor slammed his hand back over her mouth.

"You're just bound and determined to embarrass me, aren't ya?" he said to her.

Rose took a deep breath.

"Sis gave him the name Sprinkles because she didn't think he was a big bad Oncoming Storm, he was a tiny harmless sprinkle," she said quickly.

She quickly got to her feet. Alan laughed when the Doctor leapt up and gave chase. Everyone watched while he chased her through the field.

"You can't keep your gob shut, Timelord, so I'm gonna have to shut it for ya!" the Doctor yelled at her while they ran.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once they got Jack away from the Pellar and Androsus, they headed back into the TARDIS and the Doctor took them into the vortex. Everyone left the room except for Jack who sat down behind him.

"How did you fare with Donald and Daisy?" the Doctor asked him.

"Nice enough, but they really wanted to talk with you. But I told them about the Slitheen and a little bit about the Gamestation and that seemed to satisfy them."

"Well, thank you for doing that," he said to him. "I'm sorry but I hate when people do that to me. I'm not a celebrity, despite what the universe thinks."

Jack shrugged.

"You're a hero who's saved countless lives, Doc. You're bound to meet admirers somewhere along the way. I mean, this is what Earth celebrities go through. Fans running up at private moments wanting an autograph and a little face time. Doesn't matter to them that you were out with family and friends. They just cared about you which is why they gave Alan the cold shoulder."

"Yes and I nearly said something that wouldn't have been fit for my granddaughters' ears. You lot are just as important and have done just as many beneficial things as I have. And Alan was trying to point that out before they dismissed him."

"Yeah but the bulk of Alan's memories come from you."

"I know but he has done other things apart from me. He's been heroic in his own right and he has just as much right to share the spotlight as I do. Same with Rose and Awinita and everyone else."

"Yeah, but you're the one who gets the spotlight, not them."

"Well, I really wish the spotlight would shine somewhere else for a change. I'm not interested in fame."

Jack smiled.

"And that's what I admire about you, Doc. You have every right to spout off your achievements every chance you get to anyone who'll listen but you choose not to."

"I don't do what I do for bragging rights, Jack. I do it because it's the right thing to do."

"Which is why I try to keep out of the spotlight too. You know, you helped me in so many ways and I owe a lot to you."

He smiled.

"I'm glad, Jack."

"So now what? I realized you were bothered just then but are you planning on going anywhere else now? Unless you want to have Alan's birthday party early?"

"I don't know where else to go. I only went there because I figured it was a nice spot to take a walk."

"Well, you could go visit your son for a bit."

He frowned.

"I just dropped him off earlier today."

"Yeah, but you have a time machine. Can't you go forward in time a bit and check on his progress?"

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I s'pose I could. Perhaps a month. He did ask about why Rose's family was in the other universe. I'll go there for a quick chat with him if you and Alan don't mind looking after the others."

"I don't mind, Doc. I'm sure we can find ways to keep everyone occupied while you're out."

He nodded and set a course for the Crystal Waters Healing Facility.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor hugged Dex when he entered his room.

"It's good to see you, Dex."

"You too, Father. I've missed you and I really do mean that," he replied.

The Doctor smiled tenderly.

"Well, actually, I just came from the day I dropped you off but I wanted to check on your progress," he said.

"I'm better. I've been in therapy and had a few harmonic treatments which helped me sleep better and helped me get over a few nightmares I've had for several years now. Nightmares that even managed to stick around in my human life.

"What sort of nightmares?"

"About the destruction of Gallifrey and being alone and abandoned after mum died."

The Doctor hugged him again and sent love into his mind. He smiled when he felt him sending love back.

"Would you like to take a walk and chat, my Son?"

"Yes."

He smiled and took Dex's hand.

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For the next hour, they walked the path inside the grounds and the Doctor explained about Rose's family as well as the reason why they had ended up there in the first place. Dex listened quietly while they both enjoyed the sunny day. At length they sat down together underneath a tree and the Doctor continued to talk and told him about Davros and the Crucible and Alan and finally meeting him again along with his family. One hour stretched into two and then two and a half hours before the Doctor was finally done explaining everything.

"I'm glad you escaped the Valeyard, Father. And I'm glad you did find a family and you're happy now. I hope I can have the same kind of happiness eventually."

"I think you will, Dex. I think you're a lot more peaceful and calm than you were when you awakened from your human life. I can tell the therapy is doing wonders for you and I'm absolutely chuffed that it has because I want you out of this place as quickly as possible. I do want to talk to you about something though."

"Yes?"

"Do you love Patience and the children?"

"Yes. I realize now that not all humans are bad and little by little I am coming to an understanding about why you kept leaving and I know that it had nothing to do with me. But Patience and Amelia and Opal are wonderful and I want to stay married to her and be a part of my children's lives."

The Doctor smiled.

"Well, you must know that now you will have to deal with them aging and dying."

He nodded.

"Yes and I have thought about that but I want to still be in their lives even if eventually they will die."

"I won't lie to you, my Son. It will be difficult and painful to see that happen. Having traveled with humans for centuries I know what it's like. I've checked up on a few of my companions after they became elderly and there were a couple I was with at the moment of their deaths. They have a limited lifespan and it hurts to know that we'll only have a short time to spend with them before they go to whatever sort of afterlife there is. But I've learned to make every moment count and you should as well. Now we're moving them to twenty first century London and my friend Sarah Jane is going to help them adjust to life there as well as another friend, Wilf. Now I have your TARDIS in storage and I will gladly give it to you when you leave here. But I'm not sure Patience will want to travel with you so you'll have to make a decision about traveling in it, staying with us or staying in London with them."

"You'd let me come in your TARDIS?"

"Yes. If you want to travel with us, none of us would mind it a bit. I'm not the only family you have, Dex. Now you have Jenny who is your stepsister since she came from me and Alan is your uncle."

"Isn't he my father as well if he's your clone?"

"Well…the thing is Alan has forged his own identity and he doesn't want to be known as the Doctor and he's happy being Jenny's uncle since he was still a hand and off my body when she was born. He really is his own person, Dex, because he was created when Donna touched him so he shares half her DNA which means he's not exactly like me. He has my memories and my body but he's spent the past year distancing himself from me and making his own life and he's been successful at it. He won't even claim the memories he has of me. If he talks about one of my memories he says the Doctor did this rather than I did this. But I think he'd be more comfortable if you thought of him as an uncle and not a second father."

Dex nodded.

"And Rain is my stepmother?"

"Yes and you don't have to have a relationship with her but I really wish you would. She's a wonderful person, Dex. She used to be this timid girl with low self esteem but she's just blossomed into this strong, brave woman. You should have seen her. After we found her and restored her she almost singlehandedly freed that whole plantation and did it without spilling a single drop of blood. I'm sure several months ago she never would have thought to speak up let alone have the courage to speak out against the injustice around her."

"Is she still angry at me?"

"No, Son, she isn't like that anyway. She's not the kind to hold a grudge. In fact, she's the one who helped me let go of a lot of my anger over these past few months, especially since she faced the Valeyard with me and saw what my anger and darkness birthed. She doesn't hate you. She's forgiven you completely because she understands you weren't thinking correctly when you did it."

Dex thought for a moment.

"Can I see her?"

"If you want to."

"Please?"

He nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll be back then, my Son."

He stood up and quickly walked to the TARDIS while Dex watched. He came back about ten minutes later holding Rain's hand. Rain smiled at him and stared at the white pajamas he was wearing.

"They make you wear that?" she said, sitting down next to him.

Dex rolled his eyes while the Doctor sat down next to Rain.

"Yes, it's comfortable but I'm glad they have high walls so the outside world doesn't see me walking the grounds like this."

He took her hand.

"Rain, the reason I wanted Father to bring you out here was because I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you, Dex. I know how angry and bitter you are and how much you hate humans."

"Yes, but I really have been helped by being here and I realize how stupid that mindset was especially since you had nothing to do with anything except marrying my father. I was an idiot and I'm glad you're alright and…I wanted to know if you would accept me as a stepson the way you accepted Jenny."

"I'd love to, Dex."

The Doctor's hearts soared when they hugged each other.

"Thank you," he said.

"How are you though? Are you alright? Is the therapy working?" Rain asked while she held his hand.

"I'm fine. The therapy is working. I have a nice counselor named Shanda who is very good and has helped me immensely. Plus, I've done a little harmonic therapy that helps your body get centered and back to normal. The only real complaint I have is not being able to wear proper clothes. The rooms are nice and the food is really good and they have a points system where little by little you earn privileges or get them taken away if you misbehave but I'm allowed to be out here unsupervised and I think in another month I'll be able to take short trips away from the facility."

"That's good," Rain said happily.

"Well, my Son, I'll have to come back in a month and see if they'll let me take you somewhere…"

He trailed off while he thought.

"What is it?" Rain said.

"Son, Rain, come with me a moment," he said, getting to his feet.

They stood up and followed him inside. He walked up to the receptionist that originally checked Dex in.

"Hello, may I help you?" she said, smiling at them.

"Yes, my son just mentioned a points system here and he said that he thought in a month he might be able to leave for short trips?"

"Can I have your name?" the receptionist said to Dex.

He told her and she pulled up his file on her computer and studied it. She nodded.

"He nearly has the required minimum to be able to leave the grounds for half a day unescorted visits," she said to the Doctor.

"And you think he'll be able to have that in a month?"

She nodded.

"So, say if I wanted to take him somewhere, I could?"

"Yes, for half a day, that is the next level he achieves."

"What's after that?"

"Full day unescorted visit. Then it builds up to two days, five days, a week, two weeks and so on and so on."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Sir, have a nice day."

He nodded and led his wife and son away from the desk. Once they were out of earshot, the Doctor put his hand on Dex's shoulder.

"Alan's birthday hasn't happened yet but I want you to attend it since you're a part of the family. I can use my time machine to move ahead in time again so you can have this unescorted visit but you'll have to put up with not seeing me for a month in order to get it."

"I want to do that, Father, but make it longer."

"Longer?"

"Yes, make it three months from now so I can get more time to spend with all of you. I don't want a half day."

He smiled and nodded.

"But that's alright? You can live with not seeing us for three months?"

"Yes, it's not so bad here, Father. I have made a few friends and the therapy and the holo-television help pass the time. Plus they have a recreation room. I'll be alright."

"Okay, well, let's go ahead and do that then."

He hugged him tightly. Rain hesitated but Dex hugged her and she hugged him back.

"We'll see you in three months, Dex," she said to him.'

"Goodbye, Mother," he said.

He paused.

"That's alright, isn't it?"

She smiled.

"Yes, you can call me Mother if you want. Jenny calls me Mom so I'm used to it now."

He nodded. He walked out the door and walked over to the TARDIS. He stood a few feet away and waved while they went inside. The Doctor waved back and closed the door.

He walked over to the console and stood with Rain while he programmed the computer to land three months later. While he did that he mentally talked to his family and told them what they were doing.

_Good, I'm glad he's well enough to come,_ Alan thought back. _We'll tell the others what's happening while you're doing this._

_Great, thanks,_ the Doctor thought to him.

The TARDIS stopped and the Doctor took Rain's hand.

"Well, let's go see our son…again," he said while she laughed.

When they got out the door, he was sitting under the same tree with a huge smile on his face.

"Son, you haven't been sitting here the whole time, have ya?" the Doctor said.

He chuckled.

"No, I just came out here three months later and sat and waited on you."

He got up and hugged them.

"Father, I made sure to get as many points as I could get before you came back and I'm up to five days unescorted visits now."

The Doctor beamed.

"Brilliant! I'm so glad, my Son. How are you now?"

"Better and better. A lot better than when you last saw me. I've added chakra therapy and colored light therapy and healing waters and I feel great."

The Doctor smiled and hugged him tightly.

"So what do I have to do to get you away from this place?" he asked him.

"Follow me, I'll show you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After obtaining the five day pass, the Doctor escorted him inside the TARDIS. He closed the door behind Rain and took it into the vortex. The rest of the family was waiting and they all gave him hugs while he apologized to them for his behavior. Alan hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad you're better, Dex. I love that you've able to come and spend some time with us. The TARDIS has fixed you up a room and you can change into some proper clothes."

"Thank God for that," he said sighing.

"If you wanna do that first, Son, I'll tell everyone you're here so you can meet them and see your family again."

He nodded and Alan and the women led him to his room while the Doctor went to find the others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dex hugged Patience and his children tightly while they stood in the living room with the others. The TARDIS had supplied him with brown trousers and a white t-shirt and white trainers. The Doctor went around the room introducing everyone after he was done saying his hellos to his family. Everyone made room for him on the sofa while he walked over and sat down. They let his family sit around him and made him feel welcome while they talked. The Doctor smiled and pulled out a chair from a nearby desk while he listened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After awhile, the Doctor went to the kitchen to make some tea for everyone.

_Dex, have you eaten?_ He thought to him.

_Earlier this morning._

_Would you like something to eat?_

_If you don't mind._

_I'll bring you something then. Just keep on chatting,_ the Doctor thought.

He glanced over when Rain came into the room.

"I'll get him something to eat," she said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Rain opened the refrigerator and grabbed some stuff for sandwiches. She started making him a turkey sandwich while the Doctor reached up into a cabinet for a bag of crisps. He poured some into a bowl and put the bag back. While they were assembling everything, Alan walked into the room.

"Pollywog's getting a tad fussy so I'm gonna get him a couple of biscuits and some milk," he said.

"How's Dex doing?"

"Molto bene, my Brother. He's getting along splendidly with everyone else," he said, grabbing the milk out of the fridge. "You can tell the therapy has helped immensely. I'm willing to bet he won't be in there much longer."

The Doctor nodded.

"I agree. He's accepted Rain as his mother as well," he said.

"Wonderful," Alan said, pouring the milk into a small sipper cup that the TARDIS provided for him. "I'm glad. He doesn't deserve to be in that place. Too bad your other insane Time Lord brethren probably wouldn't be as receptive as he is to treatment."

"Yes, unfortunately, but I never wanted to see Dex join their ranks which is why I'm glad he is doing this and getting better."

The whistle went off and the Doctor took the kettle off the burner and went to get a mug. Alan rubbed Rain's back.

"Little by little, you're adding children and grandchildren now," he said to her.

"I know. I'm glad he accepted me. I'm happy he wants to think of me as his mother."

"Well you'll be a better influence on him than Sharina was, that's for sure."

"Too right she will be," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes while he poured the water into the mug and dropped in a tea bag. "If he'd had someone like Rain all along we never would have gotten in this mess in the first place."

The Doctor grabbed a metal tray and they put his tea, sandwiches and crisps on them.

"I'll take it to him, Love," she said, grabbing it.

"Thanks."

Rain walked out with the tray. Alan reached into a cookie jar and grabbed a couple of cookies for Tony.

"I'm glad he has five days. That'll give him time to get acquainted with us and reacquainted with you," he said to the Doctor.

He nodded and grabbed another tray while Alan walked out the door and began to make more tea.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After talking with one another for several hours and having supper, everyone decided to retire for the night. Patience wanted to stay with her husband and after he agreed to it, the Doctor had the TARDIS move his things to her room and widen the bed so she could sleep while he lay with her. The Doctor walked with them to their room. Dex smiled at all the activity surrounding them while everyone got ready for bed.

"Wow, I've never seen a TARDIS this active before," he said.

"Yes, this is what happens when you allow others to be a part of your life. This activity is wonderful. It's comforting to have so much happiness around me."

Dex nodded.

"Now, granted the TARDIS isn't usually like this because I travel with my family and this is all the humans going to bed. When it's just us, we're usually up all night but that's wonderful too since I have people to talk to or watch the telly with or play games or just do a little nighttime exploration. After Patience goes to sleep if you wanna come and join us, you're more than welcome to do that."

"I think I will but I will lay with her for awhile."

He smiled.

"I'm glad, Son. She does love you very much and is worried about you. She's a wonderful woman and you can also be instrumental in helping her and the children adjust to their new lives."

"I do want to live with her in London. At least for the majority of the time, I would like to travel with you occasionally."

He smiled.

"You're more than welcome to travel with us, Son. But what about your TARDIS?"

"I want to leave that here for the time being. If I'm gonna be living in London, I'm afraid someone might get their hands on it."

He nodded.

"Well, I can fix it so you can contact us whenever you feel the need to travel and I'm sure your children will want to travel as well since for the most part they've loved being in here."

"Well, I guess it makes sense since time travel's in their genes," Dex said, shrugging.

"Very true."

Dex opened the door a crack and noticed Patience was in bed. He looked at the Doctor.

"I'm gonna go inside now," he said, closing it back. "But I will come to see you later."

"Just let us know through the mind link and we'll tell you where we're at."

"I will."

They hugged. The Doctor lowered his head to his son's head and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm so glad you're here with us, my child. It wouldn't be right to have you cooped up in that building while we celebrated your uncle's birthday."

He nodded and sighed while they held each other close for a moment and sent love into each other's minds.

"I love you, my hearts," the Doctor whispered.

"I love you too…Dad."

He smiled and increased the love until he was sure his son's brain would burst from it. They finally broke apart and the Doctor watched him enter the bedroom. Once the door was closed he walked off towards the living room to join his family.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

After everyone went to bed the Doctor and his family went to the living room with the dogs. They sat at a table and played poker while they drank tea and the dogs slept on the sofa. They sat around talking telepathically to each other about the day's events when suddenly the Doctor felt his son calling to him asking to come to them. He mentally asked the TARDIS to lead him to the living room and she rearranged the corridors. They smiled at him when he came inside the room. He bent down for a moment and patted the dogs when they bounded up to him with tails wagging. Then he walked over to the table and sat in a chair the Doctor provided for him.

"How's Patience?" the Doctor asked him.

"Good, she's asleep now. What are you doing?"

"Just playing poker and talking to each other."

He nodded.

"Yeah, I heard you in my mind while I was lying there. Interesting conversations you were having."

"Yeah, well, we tend to joke around a lot at night," the Doctor said, "and we actually do get kinda loud vocally and mentally once we get going. Have you ever played poker?"

"No, I know what it is but I've never played it. Never had anyone to play it with," Dex replied.

"Do you wanna learn?" the Doctor asked.

He nodded and listened while the Doctor explained the rules to him. He nodded when he finished.

"Doesn't sound too difficult, I'll try a game," he said.

Rose shuffled the cards and passed them out. Rain, who was sitting next to Dex, looked at him.

"So, did you ever go out with any friends while you were living on the farm?" she asked as she took her cards.

"Um….every once in a great while we would have the neighbors over but you saw how far away they were and there were no communication devices except the telegraph and the nearest one was in Gainesville. You could only send a telegram where there was another telegraph office like Atlanta or Savannah, so that was right out. Occasionally, they'd pass by and stop to talk to us or we'd hitch up the wagon and go visit them but everyone was busy so there wasn't much time for socializing. Thinking back on my human life I was a bit antisocial anyway, which I guess is because I didn't like humans but at the time I didn't realize that. Other than that, we occasionally got newspapers from Gainesville whenever we were in town and that's how we kept up on the war. It was odd but I guess even though I was human, sometimes I could recall things I wouldn't have known otherwise, future events. I astonished Patience when I told her there was a battle going on in Gettysburg. Although, I didn't say Gettysburg, I just told her there was a huge battle in Pennsylvania. Needless to say when we heard about it, she was disturbed that I knew that but the spiritualism movement was very popular back then and I said a spirit gave me the information in a dream and she believed that. She actually did buy into that and did a bit of table tapping and a couple of séances with several of her friends a couple of years before we met. I thought it was rubbish and still do but it was a way to explain Gettysburg without her thinking I'd gone mad and throwing me in an asylum. But I actually had several instances of things like that happen. Remembering things I couldn't have possibly known as a human."

"I was the same way when I became human."

Dex was taken aback.

"What? When did you become human, Father?"

The Doctor told him the story while they continued to play. Dex listened half stunned/half fascinated to the story.

"And this Joan kept your journal?" he asked his father when he finished.

"Yeah, I had no use for it anymore and I suppose it reminded her of the John side of me."

"And your friend Martha was there?"

"Yeah, you can ask her if you want to know her side of things. But I know what it's like to be a human because of that."

"What happened to the Family?" Dex asked.

"I took them to another planet where they would be able to live out their life spans without hurting anyone," the Doctor said trying to sound convincing as he could.

They finished the round and Rose dealt another hand.

"Father, just gotta ask, what life are you on now?"

"I'm on my tenth."

Dex's eyes widened.

"Ten? You mean you only have three lives left?"

He nodded.

"That's the price you pay when you make a choice to fight the evil in the universe, your lives get used up quicker."

"What life are you on?" Mingxia asked.

"My fourth and he's only…about 160 years older than I am, give or take."

"Actually, I'm about…168 years older."

"But I haven't led a life like he has which is why I'm only on my fourth life. I regenerated when my bodies wore out. I was active but not like he is. What life are you on incidentally?"

Mingxia was clueless.

"Uh, I really have no idea. None of us know what life we're on except the Doctor," she said.

Dex frowned.

"Not even you, Uncle?" he said to Alan.

"Not for certain. I started off being half human but when I was converted along with everyone else, Imiko never told us what lives we were on. I have no idea if I'm on my tenth life like him or this is my first life since I haven't personally regenerated. I'm hoping Imiko gave us a full thirteen lives but we have no idea and there's no way to test it save killing ourselves repeatedly and counting."

"So three lives from now…"

"I'm gonna be really nervous about regenerating, yes," Alan replied.

"What is this Imiko? You said it was a fox spirit."

The Doctor explained it to him.

"Wow. And here I thought nothing could change a human to a Time Lord."

"She's also the one that freed me from the Valeyard's control although I had no idea it was her at the time. She was traveling with us but she spoke to us as a disembodied voice, to me and to Rain. She acted a bit odd at times but we certainly didn't think she was some mystical Japanese spirit."

"So everyone here is a full Time Lord or Lady," he said.

They nodded.

"And Jack has the ability to speak with us and feel us but he doesn't have a full Time Lord mind. But he's immortal and even though he can die, he comes back to life after a few minutes."

"Huh? He's human, right?"

"Yes."

"How is he immortal then?"

They all pointed at Rose who gave him a sheepish smile.

"You? You made him immortal?"

The Doctor explained it to him. When he was done, he looked at Rose in shock.

"You took the time vortex into your body and lived?" he said in disbelief.

Rose nodded.

"You lived when it made Father regenerate?"

She nodded.

"How? How is that possible? I mean, even with this Bad Wolf thing, it should have killed you outright. Taking it into your body killed him in a matter of minutes so how did you survive it, Rose?"

"I'm not sure, Dex. I just know that I did," she said, shrugging.

"You have done what I believe no Time Lord has been able to do and you were only a human at the time. I mean, this is mind boggling. I've never heard of someone doing that, much less a human."

The Doctor smiled.

"I told you, some of these humans are far more powerful than they appear," he said.

"It would seem so. Is this…Bad Wolf still within you?"

"Um…I'm not sure really. The Doctor took the vortex out of me but I don't know if that means he got the Bad Wolf or not. I've never seen it resurface or anything."

"Don't worry, mate, the moment you see her eyes start to glow that's your cue to skidoo," Alan said to him. "Because if you don't you'll become a teeny tiny pile of dust."

Dex stared at Alan's wife with a new appreciation for her and her abilities. He was impressed that she had been able to absorb the time vortex and still survive. It made him wonder what else she was capable of.

They continued to play poker. Dex eventually got the hang of it and was able to play along, eventually winning a round. While they played, the Doctor suddenly felt Jack call out to him.

_Where are you guys?_ He thought to them.

_Living room, Jack,_ the Doctor thought back.

_Oh, okay._

A few minutes later, he entered the living room and walked over to them. He put his hands behind his back while he watched them.

"Poker?" he said.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied. "Can't sleep?"

"I slept a little. I'm not used to the TARDIS beds anymore. I got up and went to the library for awhile trying to find a book but then I decided not to touch them."

The Doctor frowned when he walked over and grabbed a chair.

"Why?" he said.

"Well, all the books looked ancient and dusty and I was afraid if I opened them the pages would disintegrate or fall out. Besides most of them looked like they weighed a ton. Ever heard of paperbacks, Doc?" he said, putting the chair beside Alan and sitting down.

"First off, many of those books are first editions and very valuable. Secondly, I take excellent care of my books and so does the TARDIS so there's no fear of you opening one up and having it fall all over the floor or turn to dust in your hands. Thirdly, I don't like paperbacks, they tear too easily."

"Then how come you bought one?"

The Doctor gave him a shocked look.

"Bought one? Which one? I have a couple of them but they were presents from my family and they're in my bedroom. I don't recall taking one into the library. What's the title of it?"

"Well, it's something along the lines of Passion Unchained."

"That's hers!" the Doctor said pointing to Awinita while everyone laughed. "It's a sappy romance novel. One of many that she still insists on reading even though she's now a Time Lady who should know better."

"I'm sorry, Bro, but I do still have my original personality and just because I suddenly got a Time Lord brain means I'm not gonna stop reading the novels I love, okay? I know they never had Harlequin Romances on Gallifrey and that's why you didn't read them."

"Actually, I wouldn't have read them even if they were on Gallifrey," the Doctor said as Dex and Jack sniggered.

"Oh, but Brother, you haven't lived until you're stuck in a people carrier reading aloud about a sexy sheikh who falls in love with his female chauffeur."

Jack raised his eyebrow while Rose bent over the table giggling uncontrollably.

"A sheikh falls in love with his chauffeur," he said slowly.

"Yes, it was a gripping tale of two worlds colliding together and the passion that erupted in the back seat of the limo once the sheikh decided that he just had to have the sassy independent woman that drove him around and captured his heart. Rose was there, she can tell ya. Can't ya, Starlight? Um…she can tell ya once she gets done laughing…but anyway, yes, that was the book we were treated to one afternoon out on the open road. I daresay it's probably won the Noble Prize for literature now, among other accolades. It deserves to be up there with War and Peace and Anna Karenina. It was truly a modern classic. And I'm sure Passion Unchained will be no different. And it's interesting you left it in the library. Were you hoping Brother would stumble onto it and read it out of curiosity?"

"No, I just like being in the library. It's comfortable and quiet in there and it's a nice place to read a book. I didn't realize Jack was gonna go in there and find it."

"Well, to be honest, for a couple of minutes I considered taking it and reading it to Ianto for shits and giggles and a bit of titillation but then I figured it belonged to one of you so I left it alone."

The Doctor chuckled at Dex's perplexed look.

"Trust me, Son, this is normal for us on a late night," he said while they laughed. "Like I said, I'm so glad they're here because they keep me entertained immensely."

"Is this how most humans act?" Dex asked.

"No, humans have all different kinds of personalities. My family just happens to be a bit silly. But that's why I love them so much. There's a lot more variety among the human race than there was among our own people. Like I told you, there's a lot of imagination and ingenuity and passion for life that I love and I think the longer you stay around them, the more you'll see that. Especially since this lot still acts human. Isn't that right, Miss Romance Novels?"

"You know it!" Awinita said. "And I'll continue to read my Harlequin's until the day I reach my last regeneration and die!"

"Which means you'll be finding a lot more sappy novels in your library, Brother," Alan said while she swatted his head. "More tales about half naked nubile women in the arms of masculine he-men with long flowing hair and chiseled faces."

"Gee, sounds like you've been reading a few of them yourself," Donna said.

"No, I've seen a few of the covers which are hard to miss since there usually is a big beefcake and a scantily clad woman on the cover."

"And you've been reading them, haven't ya? Admit it, Bro," Awinita said, poking him. "Admit it! Admit it!"

Alan pretended to cry.

"Alright, "he wailed while everyone roared with laughter. "I admit it, I've been sneaking the books into my room at night when no one's looking and reading them while I'm on the loo. I just can't get enough of Jungle Babes in Bondage and Shagfest in the Sahara! I prefer them to Einstein and Newton and Jung! Please forgive me, my family, for my moment of weakness. I'm only half human…once."

Awinita leaned on his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek while Rose ruffled his hair. Dex looked at the Doctor.

"Like I said, normal late night for us," the Doctor said while they giggled.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Some of the family members mentioned in this story are in the companion piece Life With The Family. The majority of the stories take place between Dex's time in the asylum and this birthday party which is why they're being mentioned here now. Julie, Grace, Madison and Amber are all Time Ladies and family and Dorothy is human and is the Doctor's adopted daughter and Madison's biological daughter and everyone now lives on a planet called New Hope in a city called Nova.

Chapter Seventeen

Finally it was time for Alan's birthday party and the Doctor went to get everyone who wasn't currently in the TARDIS with them. By that time, Dex and his family had become completely comfortable with everyone and Dex's family had adjusted to living on New Hope which pleased the Doctor immensely. His family, except for Alan, was in the kitchen getting snacks and drinks ready and there was a cake that the TARDIS provided for them that had HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, ALAN written on it with blue frosting. Above the writing, the TARDIS had created a beach scene with brown and blue frosting and had little figures of Rose and Alan kissing beside the fake water. Beneath the writing were little representations of the whole family, Dex and his family included, standing together with big smiles on their faces alongside the TARDIS. The women all loved it. They threw up a block, shutting Alan out, and telepathically called the Doctor and Dex in to see it. The Doctor grinned.

"My old girl has outdone herself this time," he said. "Alan will love it."

"Where is he now, Dad?" Jenny asked.

"In the living room talking to everyone else. They're all waiting till we give the signal to go inside the room for the party."

He tried to grab a crisp from a bowl but Rain playfully smacked his hand.

"Uh, uh, uh, wait with the rest of us," she said, wagging her finger at him.

She gasped when the Doctor seized her around the middle and grabbed the crisp.

"I'm the Doctor and I'll do what I want when I want," he said.

He shoved it in his mouth and chewed it while she feigned anger. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"So, are we ready yet?" the Doctor asked them.

"Yup, we just need to take everything inside the room and then we'll be ready for the party," Donna said.

They grabbed the cake, trays, bowls and drinks and walked along a couple of corridors until they came to the room. The TARDIS unsealed the door and turned on the lights while they walked over to a long table and set everything down. The TARDIS provided paper plates and plastic cups and cutlery at the very end and once they were satisfied everything was ready, they mentally told Alan to bring everyone in. the TARDIS dimmed the lights down so Alan couldn't see the decorations and they all stood and waited for him in the darkness. Alan was the first to come in and his eyes widened.

"Whoa, are we having the party in the dark?" he said, looking around.

"No, we just don't want you to see the decorations yet," Rose said.

"Oh, I was about to say, would be hard to see with the room this dark," he said while everyone came in behind him.

Once they were all inside, the TARDIS tuned on the lights. Alan grinned when he looked around with everyone else. There was a huge white banner strung across the room with HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALAN on it in green letters. He giggled when he saw a seven foot stuffed giraffe in the corner with a sign on the back that said KICK MY ASS on it. He raised his eyebrow when he saw a replica of the hand in the jar along with a sign that said HERE'S YOUR FUTURE BROTHER.

"Oh ha, ha," he said when they laughed.

He looked at the wall. There was a large rectangle banner that showed the Doctor and the entire family in a photo smiling and beside it were the words WE LOVE YOU, ALAN. Finally, Alan got a good look at the cake. He was touched deeply and his eyes misted over when he walked over and hugged them all tightly.

"Happy birthday, Bro," Awinita said.

"Thanks so much, everyone. I love you too," he said while they hugged him tighter.

Rose cupped his face with her hands and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Happy birthday, my love," she whispered to him.

He grinned, kissed her back and rubbed noses with her before they turned and looked at the rest of the party guests.

"Um, we have refreshments on the table and…TARDIS, a little music please?"

Soft music was piped into the room. Everyone came up to Alan and hugged or kissed him while they wished him a happy birthday. Alan thanked them all in return. When Tony came up to him, he picked him up and swung him up in the air while he giggled.

"It's my birthday, Pollywog! I'm one year old so you're older than me!"

"Alan!" Tony yelled between giggles.

He gave him a hug and a kiss and sat him down on the ground. Tony grabbed his pant leg while Jackie came up. She cupped his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

_Ugh, glad that wasn't me,_ the Doctor thought while his family fought to keep from laughing.

"Happy birthday, Alan," Jackie said.

"Thanks, Jackie."

Jackie picked up Tony and carried him away so the others could wish him happy birthday. When Sarah Jane got to him she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Happy birthday, my handsome boy. I'm so glad you were born," she said.

"Thank you, Sarah, so much."

She kissed his cheek and gave his back a quick rub before heading on. Jack was next and he threw open his arms.

"Happy birthday, my handsome boy, I'm so glad you were born!" he said.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!" Alan screamed.

They all laughed when he ran behind the Doctor and feigned terror while he peeked over his shoulder.

"Brother, protect me from other Brother!" Alan said in a melodramatic voice.

"Harkness, what have I told you about scaring my baby Brother?" he said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, it won't happen again, honestly."

"See that it doesn't."

Jack chuckled and Alan came out from behind him while they hugged.

"Happy birthday, Brother." Jack said.

"You too," Alan replied.

He smiled and hugged him before Alan walked back to the crowd of well wishers.

Next in line was Martha who hugged him tightly. Then Grace. Madison and Dorothy, Julie, Amber, Wilf, John, Mickey, Gwen and Ianto. Finally Dex came up to him.

"I'm glad you're alive, Uncle," he said.

"And I'm glad you're getting better, my Nephew, I'm glad you're here with us today."

"So am I."

He hugged him tighter and moved on. Alan smiled at Patience and gave her a hug.

"I'm glad we found you," Alan said to her.

"Me too, Alan," she replied.

She walked on and Alan kneeled down next to Amelia and Opal.

"Happy birthday," they said to him.

He smiled and opened his arms. They gave him hugs and he embraced them both tightly.

"And I'm also glad we found you," he said to them.

They hugged him tighter. Once they were finished everyone got in line to get some food.

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For the next hour and a half everyone sat at a long table and talked. Alan sat at the end with all his family and friends on both sides of the table. Alan had Tony sitting on his lap while he shared his food with him and the Doctor had Dorothy on his lap. The Doctor was sitting right beside his brother and they giggled when Tony kept staring at him and looking back at Alan.

"I'll be glad when he's old enough to understand clones," the Doctor said.

Tony looked back at Alan.

"It's me," he said. "That's my brother! I'm the one you want. See the brown hair band on his wrist, that's so you can tell us apart. I'm not wearing one so I'm Alan."

Tony grabbed another crisp and stared at the Doctor.

"Hi, I'm not Alan but nice to meet you anyway," he said while everyone laughed.

"Daddy, I want one," Dorothy said to the Doctor.

The Doctor gave her a crisp and kissed her while she ate it.

Tony looked at her and then looked at the Doctor. He looked back at Alan.

"Are you ever gonna figure it out so you can quit looking back and forth, eh?" Alan said.

Alan looked down at Rory and Blizzard who were staring up at him with hungry looks.

"Yeah, I know what you two want and you're not getting it," he said.

They laughed when Tony noticed the dogs and dropped a crisp in front of them.

"Then again, maybe you will get what you want," he said when they laughed harder.

Tony giggled when he tickled him.

"Quit undermining my authority in front of the dogs," he said to him.

He kissed his cheek and handed him another crisp.

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After they finished eating, they watched while he opened his presents. Alan let Tony help him rip the wrapping off them. He got some new t-shirts and trousers, a couple of books on physics, a framed gag gift photo of a giraffe from his entire family, gift certificates to one of their favorite restaurants on Alpha Centauri. A framed photo of most of the family they had taken at an amusement park on Carpellion and another of the rest of the famliy at a park in Nova . A red rubber bone which they explained was from the dogs. An Ipod from Jack with a gift card for ITunes, a cologne gift box from Mickey, some CDs from the teens, a cheese and crackers gift basket from Martha and a sweets gift basket from Gwen, a winter jacket from Ianto, a family photo of Sarah Jane and Luke and a 50 pound gift card from Harrods from them. Some clothes and a leather coat that resembled the Doctor's from Jackie and Pete and a black teddy bear with a red ribbon from Tony. Wilf gave him a couple of spy novels and a 25 pound gift card to Amazon dot com and John gave him some books that the TARDIS had provided for him. Alan smiled at everyone and thanked them. The women kissed him on the cheeks except for Rose who kissed him passionately on the lips. Rose put the candles on the cake and the TARDIS dimmed the lights after she lit them. They all sang happy birthday to him while she brought it over. Alan grinned and blew out all the candles at once and everyone applauded while he took the little figures off it and licked the frosting off the bottom of them.

Afterwards, they cleared the gifts off the table, ate the cake and talked.

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"Ah, what a wonderful party," Alan said while they helped him take his presents to his room. "Thank you all so much. I loved everything I got."

"You're welcome, Bro, I'm glad you made it to one year old," Awinita said.

"Yes, I was glad I was here to witness this," Madison said.

"Same here," Julie said while Grace nodded.

"Yeah, and I'm glad I did make it to one year especially after all that's happened in this past year and everything we've been through together."

They entered his and Rose's room.

"Just put the stuff on the bed, I'll sort it out later," he said to them.

They laid the stuff down and gave him one more hug before leaving.

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After the party, they all talked for a couple of hours before the Doctor took them back to their homes on New Hope. Once they were there, they hugged each other tightly and sent love into each other's minds before everyone who wasn't going with the Doctor left the ship. The Doctor looked at the remaining people when Alan closed the door.

"Anyone else?" the Doctor said.

Sarah Jane glanced at the kids.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked all of them.

The teens nodded.

He hugged her.

"I'll see you sometime on Earth or Nova," he said to her.

"You take care of yourself until you do see me," Sarah Jane said.

He nodded. She kissed his cheek, they broke apart and he set a course for Ealing.

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"Wow," the Doctor said, looking around the living room at the remaining family members. "Quite a difference when everyone clears out."

He smiled at Dex.

"Well, at least we have a few days left with you, Son," he said.

"Father, I've been thinking. I want to go with you like Jack does. At least on this first one. If we do find them and you turn them back, I can talk to them and make sure they aren't angry at you."

"I would be happy to have you join us, Son. But what about your pass?"

"Take me back, Father and go forward another three months. Let me work up to a week or two and then I'll join you," he said.

He glanced at the others.

"You sure?" he asked.

He nodded.

"Yes, I want to come with you. I know I was never much for time travel, at least time travel the way you do it but I want to help and see what's out there. Just go ahead and do it so we can get started," he said.

"Okay, if that's what you want to do," the Doctor said.

Dex hugged everyone and left to get changed back into his pajamas while the Doctor set a course for the Crystal Waters Healing Facility.

Once he landed, he hugged his son and escorted him to the door.

"See you in three months, Father," he said to him.

"Take care, Son. I love you."

"And you, Father."

He hugged him and waved to everyone while he walked out the door. They waved back and the Doctor closed the door. He hurried to the console while they watched and set the coordinates.

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"It worked, Father, they're letting me go!" Dex said when they stepped out and he hugged him. "I'm completely cured."

"I'm glad, Son."

He hugged his mother and sister and they kissed his cheeks. He hugged everyone else before he led him inside so they could check him out permanently.

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"Ah, much better. Now we don't have to keep watching the clock while we go searching for the other Time Lords and Ladies," the Doctor said while his family stood around the console.

Dex had changed back into the clothes he wore on the day of Alan's birthday party. The Doctor looked at him.

"Right, first stop is Earth, 2360 then," while he inputted the coordinates. "Let's go find Nelak and see if he's still alive."

The rotor roared to life and the Doctor and five of his family members piloted the TARDIS while the others stood around and watched them.

THE END.

A/N: This will have a sequel and also I'm going to do one that is a series of one shots and short stories that are just different adventures and scenes of family life with the Doctor, Alan and the gang. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment and thanks for reading. The next story in the series is a Max Headroom crossover called The Cult of the Cyber Messiah.


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